Is a flight out 24 hours before the cruise safe?

[PolyGirl]

Ok all you winter vacationers here's my question.

We are flying out 24 hours before our Wonder cruise. One would think that's enough time! But we are getting a little concerned since our last storm on Christmas Day when all the airports out here closed down for almost the entire day.



I checked with Southwest airlines and we can change our flight to the night before so we would arrive a full day before the cruise. However, the only flight available to come home is 7:30 am the following week. (we will be in WDW then) and we would have to leave at 5:00 am to get to the airport and it would cost us $150 MORE to change the flight.

Sooooo, do we keep with the original plans on arriving in Orlando at 2:30 the day before the cruise and pray for no snow or do we switch our flight and arrive the night before (10:20 pm) and have to leave the following Saturday at 5:00 am with 3 small kids.

Please help us make the right decision and set our minds to rest.

Thank you!!!!!

 

[AnnMorin]

For our 12/7 we flew in (must have been the same flight) around 2:30 I think our flight left bradley at 11am or so. WE had a big storm the night before but I figured I had 24 hours to get there so I was not worried. It is only a three hour flight so even if things are delayed and backed up you should be fine!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

24 hours should be fine. It's a calculated risk, but a risk I would be willing to accept.

 

[inkkognito]

We live in Chicago, and out of 27 cruises, we've only had a flight delay once...thanks goodness it was going home instead of heading to Orlando. We typically take a flight anywhere between 4 and 8 p.m. out of Chicago, depending on how early I can leave work. So far, so good!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[dznymom1]

polygirl,

I was going to fly down the day before for my Feb 2 cruise, but with the looks of this winter I'm not taking any chances! We will go down Friday night instead of Saturday. I'd rather not drive myself crazy worrying about it for the week before.

If you already have your return reservation for a time you want, won't SWA just change the outgoing leg? I always fly SWA and they have been great about making changes for me.

I'm an air traffic controller here in New England, and I've just seen too many times over the years where storms mess everything up for several days at a time. Because the airports are so much more congested in the Northeast, and if one airport closes it impacts the rest, it is more common to have longer delays here than in other parts of the country.

Good luck!

 

[PolyGirl]

Thanks for the help everyone!!!!!!

I talked to Southwest and I would have to pay $300 more to have the same return flight. I called twice and talked to two differnet reps. If we just change the first flight it's only $120 more (the promotion rate went up from when we booked). But the return flight is not available at the promotion rate and we would have to pay the discounted rate.

So we're trying to decide if it's worth it to fly down a day earlier but have to leave at 5 am the following Saturday instead of 11:30 am.

I think I'm leaning to flying down the day earlier. We've had our flights cancelled before and it's no way to start a vacation.

Again, thanks for everyones help!!!!