What should I know about a one-way cruise ?

[BarlowFamily]

We've done 3 one one-way cruises with DCL: Vancouver to San Diego, Dover to NYC, and San Diego to Galveston. Only the one-way flight to England was pricier than we are used to. The other one-way flights were reasonable. We really enjoy getting to see different cities at a relaxed pace, versus a condensed day as an excursion. We have found we prefer to explore on just one end of the cruise though. Hotels, planning and exploring on both ends PLUS cruise is just too much for me to plan and a little exhausting for the family to experience. We'd love to take the Galveston to San Juan cruise one day and would fly in the day before Galveston but stay a few days in San Juan. Small things I've also noticed. The laundry room is always crowded on one-way cruises. From the first day until the last. With so many people adding on before or after the cruise it seems someone is always in need of a wash. Of course, very late at night or the wee hours of the morning were quiet in the laundry rooms. Lots of returning cruisers on one-ways. As a first-time cruiser, you might find lots of things "sold out/unavailable/full' etc. during online check-in. Fear not! Things often open up in the days before the cruise or once onboard. There's an excitement in the air on a one-way/repositioning cruise. Perhaps the crew is excited about a switch-up in ports. Not sure what it is, but it's there. We love the Magic. Such a special ship and fantastic crew.

 

[LSUmiss]

The first that pops to mind is make sure you have passports. Unlike “closed loop” cruises that begin and end at the same port and allow US citizens to cruise with just a birth certificate plus ID, a passport is required for 1-way cruises with different start/end ports.

Not for San Juan b/c it’s the US.

I just booked 1 way from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan. We have been wanting to go to PR. So it serves 2 purposes. Disney cruise & then brings me to PR. We will stay a few extra nights in San Juan.

 

[LindaBabe]

Check to see if you need passports because it is not a close loop cruise. IF you do, get them in plenty of time.

We did a Transatlantic ending in Puerto Rico. The airport was small and many cruises terminated there so it was crowded. AND the same TSA and customs agents work the ports and airport (or at least they did then.) Recommend TSA Precheck, or global entry. Plan to stay in San Juan, if you can. It was interesting.