PSA: Do not fly the day of your cruise

[TiggerBouncy]

To each his own. We've sailed six cruises, and for 3 of them we arrived a day or more prior, and for 3 of them we flew in morning of. We are low risk because we only fly nonstops, are only 2.5 hours flying hours away, and are from a part of the country that doesn't typically ice over in winter.

the flight in question above was non-stop, first non stop in the morning, 3 hours away and in the middle of the summer. So it meets all of your criteria, and as mentioned, if he were cruising, he would have missed the boat.

im not arguing with you. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Sometimes things go wrong. The fact it hasn’t happened to you on a few cruises doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

 

[Cheburashka]

the flight in question above was non-stop, first non stop in the morning, 3 hours away and in the middle of the summer. So it meets all of your criteria, and as mentioned, if he were cruising, he would have missed the boat.

im not arguing with you. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Sometimes things go wrong. The fact it hasn’t happened to you on a few cruises doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

As I stated in my post, we're always covered by good travel insurance and have a back-up plan in case the unlikely worst scenario were to occur.

I once read a post by someone who was scheduled to fly in the evening, but their flight was cancelled, and they couldn't get another that night or the next morning. Whereas the next morning's flights went off on time. So in that scenario, had it been a cruise, the person scheduled to leave the evening before would have missed the boat, and the person who left the morning of would have sailed.

The possibilities are wide open in life, and a lot can happen. Each person has to decide what risk level they are comfortable with. Telling people that they should never take a given mild risk is a bit over the top. People can decide for themselves. Lots of people fly in morning of without a problem. If it isn't for you, don't do it. As I stated in my post, I also like to fly in a day or or more before when I can. It reduces risk and allows more time for us to get into vacation mode. But when that doesn't work for our schedule, we'll fly in the day of. And I won't stress about it. Life's too short.

 

[mevelandry]

Not directly cruise related, and this is generally good advise at any time, but I just wanted to repeat it now that cruising is stating back up and it's especially true now with the pandemic and flight cancellations.

My son was flying home this weekend (thankfully not getting on a cruise) and his flight was SUPPOSED to take off at 11:30 and land at 1:30. Due to engine trouble, the flight was delayed until 5pm. There were no other flights he could get on. Had he been trying to get on a cruise, he would have missed his ship.

I have seen it a few times with cruisers too. You think it will not happen, but IT DOES.

Please, Please, PLEASE never plan to fly into port the day of your cruise. Plan to fly in at least one day prior and stay locally.

Something similar happened to us once. We were supposed to leave at 8:30 AM and left past 4:00 PM. Thankfully our cruise was the next day.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Just adding another voice to the warning about not flying to the cruise port the day it leaves. A few years ago a small group of folks were flying from here (MCO) to Venice via ATL for a cruise that left Venice on the day we arrived. We knew that was a bad decision when we made it. Sure enough, the day we needed to fly to ATL there were severe thunderstorms around MCO and our flight was delayed. and delayed. and delayed. We finally got to go and when we arrived in ATL there were more delays getting to our gate because so many flights there had ground stops.

We kept watching our watches and seeing the time get closer and closer to when they would close out the VCE boarding process. Texted a friend who was meeting us in ATL for the second leg of the trip to let the gate agent know of our plight. Anyway, we finally get to a gate. Two of our party need wheel chairs because of the long distance involved. Fortunately they are waiting for us when we get off. A rush to get from terminal A to F in ATL. We just barely made it to the VCE flight. Last ones to board before the door was closed. Whew!

I am glad it turned out ok and you made your ship!!!

I know it isn't feasible for every family, but I honestly love flying in to MCO the night before and staying at the hotel there. It's so relaxing. I like to have some wine out on our balcony and watch the people go by. The rooftop pool is cool. Breakfast is good. And then you are off to the port! It's sort of a nice way to ease into the cruise without all the stress of an early flight.

It used to be where they would grab your luggage from the hotel and they made it so easy when cruising. They changed that a few years back. It upset me because I loved how it worked. Now I am as likely to spend the evening at WDW instead.

 

[pjsmith67]

For my first Disney cruise, we flew in on the day of to Los Angeles. We barely made our connecting flight in Denver as our first flight out of Omaha was late. We were running down terminal to make it. Fortunately, there was another flight shortly after that so had we missed it we would've been put on that one. In fact, the computer system thought we did miss and put our bags on the next flight and sent us a boarding pass. Everything turned out ok. We didn't have to wait very long to get our bags from the 2nd flight and we were never in jeopardy of missing the boat. But just another example that things can go wrong. We always fly in day before now.

 

[sethschroeder]

Since it was a mechanical issue wouldn't the airline normally give a voucher..? Both times we've been delayed overnight we've been compensated in some fashion to cover hotel and food. (The food vouchers were a joke - $15 apiece usable only in the airport that was supposed to cover two meals - but we did get something..)

God came down and stole the part from them (airline reasoning why they don't need to cover it). I had good and bad experiences with airlines.

What takes the cake was a specific return flight out of NYC. Our plane was stolen to replace a different leg out of a different city (likely because of mechanical) and then they claimed "weather" even as there was no weather (and I mean none even high wind between NYC and destination).

Another time they cancelled our flight out of MCO again for "weather" in order to steal the plane for a different flight. What is strange about this one is there was a snow storm coming but another airport which was to be hit harder and earlier we were actually able to fly in later than our original flight which would have turned around before weather was ever a risk.

Luckily the first example I was on work time so everything was just covered. The second example I was on my own dime but since I have status on that airline they bent over backwards to shift me to the other flight and I just rented a car to drive back home.

 

[flipflop]

My husband insisted on flying day of to a DCl cruise we took in 2018. Flight got delayed. We BARELY made it to the terminal in time. It was so stressful and a really cruddy way to start our family trip. Prior to that -- and post -- we fly in early the day before for domestic cruises and 2 days before for international.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I could never stomach flying in the day of - wayyyyyy too risky for us! So many things could go wrong in addition to weather - illness, computer glitches, air traffic controller issues, terminal closures due to security breaches. All are highly unlikely but could happen.

A few years ago as we were getting into the car to head to the airport to fly to Hawaii, our teen daughter started throwing up. Not good.

DH and I were on our way to the airport for our 25th Anniversary at DW, being dropped off by a friend. There were unknown road closures leading into our airport. We creeped, then sat, then creeped some more. I told DH if we did not get out and walk to the terminal we would miss our flight. So we did. Almost a mile away. Huge 50lb suitcases to roll along broken asphalt. Many others got out and started walking also. It looked like an apocalypse!

You never know what will come your way so I say "great advice!" to this PSA!!

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Since it was a mechanical issue wouldn't the airline normally give a voucher..? Both times we've been delayed overnight we've been compensated in some fashion to cover hotel and food. (The food vouchers were a joke - $15 apiece usable only in the airport that was supposed to cover two meals - but we did get something..)

All we got was a bottle of water and a sandwich. American told us we should purchase travel insurance next time. I could not wait to cancel my credit card with them. I actually still have the email. This was way back in '17 so it's still upsetting to read it. I forgot that even though they referenced both dates they kept blaming it all on the weather, but it was the following day that the mechanical error occurred which really derailed things.

A few excerpts from the response from AA if you'd like to read them.

Spoiler

There's nothing more frustrating than having to travel when bad weather and the always accompanying Air Traffic Control flow delays affects the airline business. I'm very sorry for all that happened on July 24 and 25. Regrettably, when the weather doesn't cooperate, we don't have too many options to get you to where you are going as planned.

I regret that we cannot reimburse your unexpected expenses or offer compensation for the delays you encountered as a result of the bad weather. Consequently, it just isn't possible to guarantee airline schedules, which are subject to change without notice. Still, we understand that our customers depend on our schedules, and I wish we had been more successful in minimizing your inconvenience. Please accept our sincere apology.

an increasing number of customers have discovered trip insurance is a desirable choice to prepare for and offset unexpected expenses related to off-schedule operations. While we don't sell insurance ourselves, we provide a direct connection to an independent insurer providing trip insurance for a nominal fee based on ticket price. The next time you book with AA.com, please check out the Allianz Global Assistance website from the "Buy Trip Insurance" link

I was only seeking compensation for one of the two nights as the first night we were still relatively close to home but chose to stay close to the airport.

 

[Dug720]

DH and I were on our way to the airport for our 25th Anniversary at DW, being dropped off by a friend. There were unknown road closures leading into our airport. We creeped, then sat, then creeped some more. I told DH if we did not get out and walk to the terminal we would miss our flight. So we did. Almost a mile away. Huge 50lb suitcases to roll along broken asphalt. Many others got out and started walking also. It looked like an apocalypse!

LGA? It's happened multiple times. Primary reason it is my third choice of the 3 primary NYC area airports.

 

[brentm77]

Been cruising since 1980 and flying in the day before if you lived more than a certain distance from the departing port not only was a requirement, the cruise line also threw in a free hotel room the night before. This was on both NCL and RCCL. We took a break from cruising to start a family in 1988 and when we resumed cruising in 2002 it was no longer the practice. Of course, the cost of cruises also had dropped dramatically as more ships had come into service and it was more common to cruise.

What other things did cruise lines used to include that have gone away? My guess is that cruising used to be more of a first class experience, buy maybe I am making a wrong assumption.

 

[tvguy]

What other things did cruise lines used to include that have gone away? My guess is that cruising used to be more of a first class experience, buy maybe I am making a wrong assumption.

Cruise certainly has evolved. It is mainstream now.
My first cruise was in 1980 on the French cruise ship the MS Mermoz owned by Paquet Cruise lines. Small staterooms, gourmet meals, wine included with lunch and dinner. One seating for dinner, 6 pm and dinner was a 3 1/2 hour event. Semi-formal every night except for several formal nights. No other dining options . There was a nightly midnight buffet. The night club a disco, didn't even open until 1:30 am. Entertainment, well, the singer was the Captain, and the comic was the cruise director.

My second and third cruises were on NCL's SS Norway in 1983 and 1984. NCL's had early and late seating for dinner, and a nightly midnight buffet. There were quick service food options for breakfast and lunch, but the dining room was the only option for dinner. NCL's big push was Broadway style shows (Sea Legs was the show), and having name entertainers on board. Folks you saw on the Tonight Show, etc. Those entertainers did they shows one night of the cruise, and hung out with the passengers the rest of the week. They also had a sports celebrity on board. I cruised with the Fifth Dimension, Shields and Yarnell, Norm Crosby, Jack Jones and his dad Allan Jones who also was a singer, Moses Malone and an NFL player whose last name was Nixon, don't recall his first name. I got to play basketball against the Fifth Dimension and Moses Malone.

In the late 1980's the cruise industry shifted to bigger ships, lower fares and being more mainstream.

 

[lorimay]

Last week we flew home JFK to FLL, the flight was scheduled for 8:40am departure.
The night before around 11pm we received an email that we were postponed until 11:40am, the actual time we pulled away from the gate was 12:40pm.
I was thinking about if we had a cruise scheduled we probably would not have made it to the port on time.

**So always fly in at least one day ahead.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I hear people justify it by saying, 'I can fly and meet them at the first port if I have to' but in the case of 2 of my cruises I would have missed almost half the cruise. Not worth the risk at all!!! Just like not racing to get back to the port when a ship is leaving. Give yourself plenty of time.

 

[tvguy]

I hear people justify it by saying, 'I can fly and meet them at the first port if I have to' but in the case of 2 of my cruises I would have missed almost half the cruise. Not worth the risk at all!!! Just like not racing to get back to the port when a ship is leaving. Give yourself plenty of time.

When we booked our Celebrity cruise in October 2019, they were offering trip insurance for $25 and if you booked air fare through them, they "absolutely" (in the Celebrity Booking agent's words) guaranteed I would make the ship on time. Then I got the flight routing, Not Sacramento to Vancouver. Sacramento to LOS ANGELES, change planes, Los Angeles to Vancouver, almost 800 miles out of our way. But it worked. We were among the first on board the ship at Noon.

 

[squirk]

I fly a lot, all over the country, for my job. My opinion is by no means gospel, but I like to think that I’ve seen more than my fair share of the entire spectrum of flying experiences - from the 100% “without-a-hitch” flights to flights that approximated the Ninth Circle of Hell.

With that said, I am not comfortable flying in day-of. And I live a short 90-minute direct flight away from MCO.

I have been booked on more than a few flights where I’ve seen my flight go from “on-time,” to “20 minutes late,” to “two hours late,” to “four hours late” to “cancelled.”

Does this happen often? Not at all. But it does happen. And I don’t even want to entertain the possibility that something will happen with my flight and I won’t make it to the ship in time.

And it’s not just a matter of insurance covering the financial risk. It’s having to look my kids in the eye and tell them that the cruise we’ve been looking forward to for months and months isn’t going to happen because our same-day flight isn’t going to make it on time.

I fully appreciate that some people may not have the financial and scheduling flexibility to fly in the day before, but if you do have that latitude, it just seems like a good idea.

I can’t think of a worse way to kick off a cruise vacation than white-knuckling the journey to the port if/when your flight hits a snag.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

LGA? It's happened multiple times. Primary reason it is my third choice of the 3 primary NYC area airports.

Nope, Phoenix!

 

[Dug720]

Nope, Phoenix!

Ah, gotcha. LGA has had the same issue with all their construction.

 

[Blondie58]

Not directly cruise related, and this is generally good advise at any time, but I just wanted to repeat it now that cruising is stating back up and it's especially true now with the pandemic and flight cancellations.

My son was flying home this weekend (thankfully not getting on a cruise) and his flight was SUPPOSED to take off at 11:30 and land at 1:30. Due to engine trouble, the flight was delayed until 5pm. There were no other flights he could get on. Had he been trying to get on a cruise, he would have missed his ship.

I have seen it a few times with cruisers too. You think it will not happen, but IT DOES.

Please, Please, PLEASE never plan to fly into port the day of your cruise. Plan to fly in at least one day prior and stay locally.

Did and Adventures By Disney in Alaska. Flew in two days early for same reasons you mention here. It was great. We took a float plane tour. (Saw mudflates, wild animals, and back woods living remote homes from the air.). Next day we flew commercial to Dead Horse and then on to Barrow where we did the Polar Plunge, ate lunch at Top of the World, took a tour and then flew back late that night. Next morning the shuttle took us to the airport to meet our adventure group. Worked out great! No missed connections and we did some other amazing things since we had flown so far. The Adventures by Disney trip to Alaska is AMAZING by the way.

 

[DisneyConvert]

We live in NJ and for our Alaska cruise, we stayed at the airport the night before the cruise and on the day of the cruise took a 6am flight to Denver, which connected to a 10am flight to Vancouver (time-zone differences made this possible) and we boarded by 2pm PDT (see my grin).

Was this our choice!? Not even close. We had waited most of the previous day in EWR while Air Canada attempted to fix the plane that many of us were trying to board to fly to YVR the day before (like the thread recommends). Many reasons and explanations. Good faith effort? I have no idea.

Fortunately, DW acted quickly when they dismissed us at Midnite with another in a long series of excuses . . . She booked and paid for separate/additional airfare early the next am, which wasn't cheap but it helped us make our cruise. And it turned out that the replacement flight that AirCanada offered the next day was delayed too! And no, AirCanada didn't offer much in the way of refunds or hotel compensation.