Please help me not panic over flying in the morning of our cruise!

[Shanti]

If it were me, I'd look into other flights to FL and consider a one-way rental to port just to get in the night before. either jacksonville, Tampa, maaaybe Miami... the rental is most likley cheaper than your shuttle.

there's a 7:55 PIT to JAX flight on Delta, one stop.. gets in after midnight... fare not too bad

There are as many or more things that could go wrong in this scenario (flying into Jacksonville shortly after midnight, then driving across a strange state in the middle of the night to get to the port) as in flying into MCO the morning of. They could get lost, have a car accident, get stuck in severe traffic, etc., etc.

And the hassle factor of flying into Jacksonville, where you'd have to rent a car and drive yourself between cities, is 10 times that of landing in Orlando and having the DCL bus take you to the port.

A flight coming in after midnight that got cancelled is going to be just as hard to reschedule in time as one that arrives at 8:30am. In fact, it would be harder, as Jacksonville is a much smaller airport than Orlando and will have fewer flights coming in. Evening flights run late much more often than early morning flights, as well.

 

[Minnie368]

there's a 7:55 PIT to JAX flight on Delta, one stop.. gets in after midnight... fare not too bad

Thanks for looking into it for me. Unfortunately her softball game will not be over until around 6pm. We’ll have a little over an hour drive to the airport and with parking, etc, getting us there to start checking in for our flight probably at 7:30/8:00- makes the 7:55 too early for us.
I don’t see any option for us besides our 6:20am flight Saturday so we’ll just hope for the best. I will still worry but a lot of your replies have helped me relax a little about it.

 

[ironz]

Thanks for looking into it for me. Unfortunately her softball game will not be over until around 6pm. We’ll have a little over an hour drive to the airport and with parking, etc, getting us there to start checking in for our flight probably at 7:30/8:00- makes the 7:55 too early for us.
I don’t see any option for us besides our 6:20am flight Saturday so we’ll just hope for the best. I will still worry but a lot of your replies have helped me relax a little about it.

Sorry my post wasn't relaxing! Just didn't you to "only" hear that it'll be ok, because it usually is ok... until it isn't.
Flying in April definitely better weather than my friends' flight in January.
Better yet if you have a non-stop flight and are on an airline, as people have said, that has multiple flights that day, so you can have a backup plan.
Agree that carrying on your luggage might be helpful, just in case you have time issues.
And agree with @Shanti about sticking with MCO over neighboring airports. Takes an extra step out of the equation, and more plentiful flights.

Do report back how your cruise and travel go!

 

[Minnie368]

Sorry my post wasn't relaxing! Just didn't you to "only" hear that it'll be ok, because it usually is ok... until it isn't.
Flying in April definitely better weather than my friends' flight in January.
Better yet if you have a non-stop flight and are on an airline, as people have said, that has multiple flights that day, so you can have a backup plan.
Agree that carrying on your luggage might be helpful, just in case you have time issues.
And agree with @Shanti about sticking with MCO over neighboring airports. Takes an extra step out of the equation, and more plentiful flights.

Do report back how your cruise and travel go!

I will, thanks! And I appreciate everyone’s input- positive and negative- because it helps keep things in perspective

 

[emmabelle]

I've been on 14 different cruises on three different lines, four of them we flew in the morning of. I prefer to go the day before, but we never had a problem. Two cruises were Port Canaveral, one Port Everglades and one Port of Miami. I think the biggest concern would be snow or thunderstorms and you're not likely to run into those in April.

 

[mevelandry]

We sail April 14 on the Fantasy- first cruise. My daughter plays high school softball and will miss 2 games while we’re gone. We now found out she has a game the Friday night before our cruise when we had originally planned to fly in to Orlando. She cannot miss this game since she’s already missing two- those were a tough sell to her coach as it was. So now I’m forced to change to an early Saturday morning flight arriving at 8:30am from Pittsburgh. I’m in a little bit of a panic after reading so many recommendations on these boards not to fly in day of. Can anyone with experience with flying in day of help me feel better???

I can't lie... When we left for our last cruise, we chose to leave a day earlier. We were supposed to leave in the morning. The weather was perfect. Unfortunately, the plane (which was in FLL and was supposed to arrive in Montreal in the morning) never left FLL and they had to send another plane from Toronto... but we did not leave before 4:00 p.m. that day. So... If we had picked a cruise departing the same day, we would have missed it.

If your plane sleeps at the airport, you might be more lucky. If you have an insurance who will put you on another plane if there's a mechanical problem (some airlines sell that kind of insurance) you might be okay... But you are taking a risk. Make sure you have travel insurance who covers your cruise if a mechanical problem prevents your flight from leaving the airport.

Is it too late to push back the cruise?

That's what I would do.

If you can't... Chances are it's going to be perfectly fine but I would take all the precautions stated in this thread and good insurances just in case.

 

[MUN]

We sail April 14 on the Fantasy- first cruise. My daughter plays high school softball and will miss 2 games while we’re gone. We now found out she has a game the Friday night before our cruise when we had originally planned to fly in to Orlando. She cannot miss this game since she’s already missing two- those were a tough sell to her coach as it was. So now I’m forced to change to an early Saturday morning flight arriving at 8:30am from Pittsburgh. I’m in a little bit of a panic after reading so many recommendations on these boards not to fly in day of. Can anyone with experience with flying in day of help me feel better???

You'll be fine. Quite a few people fly in the morning of the cruise. I have no numbers, but I would say that the numbers are greater than what people on here would think.

MUN

 

[jrez]

My only advice would be to have backup plans already laid out incase the worst happens. Know other flights that would possibly be available and even if they were to different airports how long it would take to drive once you get there...and be ready to pay extra $$$s.

 

[Shanti]

You'll be fine. Quite a few people fly in the morning of the cruise. I have no numbers, but I would say that the numbers are greater than what people on here would think.

MUN

Agreed. Probably half of all cruisers fly in the morning of the cruise.

In general, the bigger the airport you're flying into (Orlando & Miami airports are big, while Fort Lauderdale, Tampa & Jacksonville have smaller airports), the easier it is for them to reschedule a flight. People might want to consider that when planning flights into the cruise, whether they're flying the day of or the day before.

 

[xQuizx]

Our first cruise we flew in the morning of and were fine.

Just take the first nonstop flight out and you'll be golden. If you are taking Southwest even better, the plane for the first flight out will probably have arrived the night before, so it will be there in the morning waiting for you.

Get insurance just in case.

You're flying in the spring so weather will not be an issue.

Have fun!

 

[ludari]

For three of my Disney Cruises I flew out the day of and everything worked out okay, however I made sure that I took the first flight out; confirmed they where multiple flights/airlines that would arrive in time just in case my flight was canceled; only had carry-on bag; and I made sure to allocated the time it would take me to get from the airport to the cruise terminal. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[hanscarlet]

I feel like a lot of people do this but just don't talk about it due to fear of getting flamed on social media... I think you'll be fine but buy the trip insurance

 

[quickcat]

We have done it a few times before. If we wouldn’t be so tired out that first day I would do it more often but it’s a long, tiring day when you fly in the day of.
We even flew in to Puerto Rico (from MN) the same day for a cruise.
Definitely can be done and many people do it.
Have a great cruise!

 

[skfulkers]

I fly a lot for work, and while delays are usually minimal and cancellations rare, they do happen. Usually when you least expect it. Realizing you can't fly out the night before, I'd echo what others are saying: have a back-up plan in case the worst happens - the flight is cancelled.

As mentioned, find alternate flights on other airlines/airports that would get you there in time. DW and I always try to look at the very worst case scenario: would we have enough time to drive from home to Port Canaveral if needed? From Pittsburgh, that probably means ~15 hours for you? So your point of no return for driving is probably midnight at the latest the night before. Not an ideal situation, but at least you know your options.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[o&smom]

We flew from Oregon to Barcelona, landing the morning of our first Disney cruise! Everything went fine for us, but we now fly in a day or two early.

 

[NAB]

Disney will send you luggage tags for the cruise, and if you attach them before you board your flight from Pittsburgh, then Disney will collect your luggage and send it to the ship for you. You can just go downstairs to the cruise transfers area and get on the bus directly. However, some people like to collect their luggage themselves just to make sure that it arrives. You then take it to the bus with you, and they store it underneath.

Is this true? I thought that was only if you were going to WDW hotel. We always book our own flight so maybe that is why I never knew about this.

Are you flying using Disney's flights or just getting your own? They know what is coming in and if it is late to look for you.

 

[starvenger]

I am not a big fan of flying in the day of the cruise, but I've done it twice before with no issues. One of those even involved a connection (YYZ-DCA-SJU), which I would usually not do, but it was a group cruise and out of my control.

I guess my advice (for whatever it's worth) is to make sure you've got all your ducks in a row, and as the Guide says, Don't Panic. You'll get on board just fine.

 

[dcassetta]

Is this true? I thought that was only if you were going to WDW hotel. We always book our own flight so maybe that is why I never knew about this.

Are you flying using Disney's flights or just getting your own? They know what is coming in and if it is late to look for you.

If flying into Orlando and using Disney transfers to Port Canaveral, you may attach your luggage tags to your bags before your flight and DCL will collect them at the airport and transport them to the ship. I think the baggage service is only available at MCO, at other airports you would need to claim your bags, even if using Disney transfers.

 

[gometros]

Normally I would say that as long as you have a choice, don't fly in the same day. There are many factors that can play into a delay. Weather (and it doesn't have to be snow), mechanical issues, etc. But since it looks like you don't have a choice, just grab the earliest flight possible and relax.

Or leave your daughter home.


Just kidding.

 

[Andasibe]

10 cruises, have always flown in day of from Columbus, even in January. You will be fine! Just set proper expectations with your travel group that no "dilly dallying" will be allowed