If you cannot drive to your cruise port, you might be struggling with trying to decide when to fly in for your cruise.
It's tempting to fly the same day as your cruise departure in order to save money and vacation days, but the risk of being delayed or cancelled means you could put your entire cruise vacation in jeopardy.
In all my years of going on Royal Caribbean cruises, one observation I've made is people that miss their cruise because of a travel delay is a very avoidable problem.
There always seem to be at least one person on every sailing that posts on social media that they missed their cruise because they tried to fly in the same day as the cruise departure.
Here are the top reasons not to fly the same as your cruise departs and when to fly in instead for a cruise.
Always fly in at least one day ahead of time (more for overseas)
In deciding when to fly in for your cruise, you should always arrive at least one day before the morning of departure.
Flying the same day as your cruise departure has too many risks. If you miss the cruise ship, Royal Caribbean will not refund your money, regardless of the reason.
Sure, travel insurance might cover it if it's a travel delay, but that won't make up for the vacation you planned.
I recommend always planning to arrive at least one day early before the cruise sets sail. This provides a buffer so that if your flight is cancelled or delayed, you have more time to still get to the embarkation port.
This is especially important if you're flying from a smaller airport that does not have many flights each day.
If you are flying overseas, such as to Europe, then I would recommend expanding that to at least 2-3 days before the cruise begins.
Not only are there less of these flights should it be cancelled, but you will need time to adjust your body clock to the local time and fight jetlag.
Simply put, the risks of flying in on the day of in order to save money are just not worth it. Here's why to fly in for your cruise early instead.
Weather is so unpredictable
You do not need to be a travel expert to know airlines will delay and cancel flights all the time because of bad weather.
Storms will throw off the entire flight schedules for days, especially if they are tropical storms or major winter storms. In fact, I think blizzards, snow storms, and ice storms are more likely to cause your flight to be changed than a hurricane.
Airlines don't play games with bad weather. When they see something coming, they'll cancel a flight quickly so that they can keep their aircraft out of its path.
But even if the bad weather is not as damaging in nature, a few hour delay could be the difference between you making the flight or not.
Not only do you need good weather at your home airport, but it needs to be clear where you're flying into. Florida is notorious for pop-up thunderstorms in the summer, which will shut airports down for hours.
Less stress
The last thing you want to do is start off your well-deserved vacation with added stress of will you make it on time.
Flying the same day as your cruise, even when everything is on time, is still a big guessing game until you actually land.
Call me crazy, but I don't want that kind of mental anguish before any of the fun begins.
You get more time to enjoy the cruise on embarkation day
If you fly the same day of your cruise, that will delay when you can actually get to the cruise terminal and step aboard.
I always want to be at the cruise terminal as early as possible so I can board sooner rather than later. Remember, the cost of your cruise doesn't change if you board at 11am or 2pm.
Having a few extra hours on embarkation day can make a big difference in enjoying the trip. Plus, those first few hours on the first day are the best time to get a lot of things done and take advantage of smaller crowds on the pool deck. Kids will really appreciate the shorter lines for water slides.
Getting aboard earlier also means less lines at the buffet. As the afternoon goes on, the Windjammer gets very crowded.
I'm usually so excited for my cruise to begin that I want to get on the ship as early as I can and start enjoying what I paid for!
You can expand your vacation
An added bonus of not flying the same day your cruise begins is you can explore the port you're sailing from.
Royal Caribbean sails from major cities, and that means historical sites, tourist attractions, beautiful beaches, and plenty more to see and do.
You might combine your cruise with a land vacation too, such as a trip to Walt Disney World, New York City, or London.
I find tacking on a land trip to my cruise not only ensures I make the cruise, but I get to experience lots more in the countries and cities I'm traveling to.
In some cases, these are once-in-a-lifetime destinations that you'll want a few days to enjoy. And if it's a place I've been before, there's always new restaurants or spots to check out since my last visit.
