Linda216 Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 I’ve learn I need to fly in the day before the cruise, thanks to all of you...but what time is a safe flight time to book on our last day? (I know it depends on numerous factors like airport distance etc). But generally what time is it easy to get off the boat on the last day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRLPP Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 I usually figure disembarking two hours after docking time listed to be on the safe side, then add travel time to airport, shooting to be there 2 hrs before flight. Factors: If you do have an earlier flight, try to ask for an earlier disembarking number or carry off your luggage, also are you driving and parked in cruise garage or off sight?. Personally I try yo get a later flight and enjoy a leisurely breakfast, sometimes even make plans for a local sight to visit. I would rather spend an extra hour with peace of mind at the airport than rush and sweat out missing a plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Weather, customs, traffic to airport, ship issues can all happen. Probably won`t. If the ship docks at 7 a.m . Noon would be the earliest advisable time to fly out. You might want to do carry off with your luggage and then you are first to get off the ship and won`t be waiting around for your number to be called. We do that all the time. It`s the only way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Many will say a flight after noon will be safe. It depends on what ship and port you'll be on but after noon usually works. Just realize that if you book a really late flight, you can only check your luggage in to the airline 4 hours before your flight. However, depending on the airport you may have options for that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 As a worst case, you will almost certainly be off the ship by 9am. Most seem to debark in the 8am hour. You can beat the rush by going before 8am or waiting for "last call" closer to 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 51 minutes ago, Matt said: As a worst case, you will almost certainly be off the ship by 9am. Most seem to debark in the 8am hour. You can beat the rush by going before 8am or waiting for "last call" closer to 9. @Matt yeah I guess that’s a better question to ask...what’s the latest I’ll likely get off the boat, 9am then? (Were currently debating too many factors to list on how we’ll do the flights, which airports, driving etc ). Just needed a base time to know what is actually possible for travel options on our disembarkation day. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Ships and port play a factor. For some ports the customs operations seems to be better prepared to handle large volumes of cruise ship guests. Other ports for what ever reason can be slow. A small ship with 2,000 guests will often be quicker than a mega ship with 6,000 guests. If you are capable of using self-assist you often can get off the ship before massive queues forms at customs. Guests in suites and those with elite status can get lower luggage tag number so they also benefit from getting off earlier. If you "lose the luggage tag lottery" and end up with the later luggage tags it can take longer to reach the taxi stand which might also have a queue of it's own later in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mworkman Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 We generally book our return flights after 12:00 and have not had an issue. FManke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 I also think the safe number are flight after 12 PM if you are flying from FLL/MIA and you are getting to the same port. If you are getting to Cape Canaveral I will add 1 to 1.5 hours at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Great info! I was actually debating a flight out of Fort Myers at 2:30pm. . My In laws live over there and we could tie a trip in to see them before the cruise but would need to drive back to Ft Myers to fly home. I see a decent price but flight time is 2:30pm on disembarkation day. Really don’t think it’s worth the stress but wanted to know my options. Good to know 9am is likely a safe time to approximate we’ll be off then ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 3 hours ago, Linda216 said: Great info! I was actually debating a flight out of Fort Myers at 2:30pm. . My In laws live over there and we could tie a trip in to see them before the cruise but would need to drive back to Ft Myers to fly home. I see a decent price but flight time is 2:30pm on disembarkation day. Really don’t think it’s worth the stress but wanted to know my options. Good to know 9am is likely a safe time to approximate we’ll be off then ship Can I ask why you need to fly out of Ft. Myers? I understand your desire to fly in to see your in laws but not to drive back to Ft Myers to fly out of there especially if you won't see your in laws on the way out. The days of cheaper round trip plane tickets are long gone. I find my cheapest air fare is one way and typically 2 different airlines, for me that is SW and Jet Blue. I often fly one down and the other back. I do check area airports (MIA, FLL and Ft Myers) and will balance the cost, time and transportation to decide on my flight. Double check that your transportation fee to Ft Myers plus plane ticket is less than the cost of a flight from MIA or FLL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 @melski94 well we would borrow one of their cars to drive to Miami. So we’d have to return it. (We wanted to see them and make our 4 day cruise trip a bit longer. Plus free house and cars) I supposed we could rent a car and then wouldn’t have to pay for parking at the cruise terminal or drive back. (Good to know to look into one way tickets) I don’t know much about car rentals. Any idea how much it would cost to rent a car and drive it from ft Myers to Miami? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 2 hours ago, Linda216 said: @melski94 well we would borrow one of their cars to drive to Miami. So we’d have to return it. (We wanted to see them and make our 4 day cruise trip a bit longer. Plus free house and cars) I supposed we could rent a car and then wouldn’t have to pay for parking at the cruise terminal or drive back. (Good to know to look into one way tickets) I don’t know much about car rentals. Any idea how much it would cost to rent a car and drive it from ft Myers to Miami? Thanks! That makes sense but I would price out the cost of a one way rental from the Ft Myers airport to the Miami airport vs the cost of parking for 4 days. For rental car rates, do you have AAA or some other membership (Costco) where I find cheaper rates than directly online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 @melski94 good thought. More numbers to research! At least I have time. I fear we’ll end up driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew72681 Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 19 hours ago, Linda216 said: Great info! I was actually debating a flight out of Fort Myers at 2:30pm. . My In laws live over there and we could tie a trip in to see them before the cruise but would need to drive back to Ft Myers to fly home. I see a decent price but flight time is 2:30pm on disembarkation day. Really don’t think it’s worth the stress but wanted to know my options. Good to know 9am is likely a safe time to approximate we’ll be off then ship Florida usually has pretty good rates one way car rentals. Can fly into RSW and out of the closest port to your cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 @Andrew72681 great info. Yeah car rental doesn’t look too bad. Do you (or anyone) know how much it costs to park daily at the cruise terminal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew72681 Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 37 minutes ago, Linda216 said: @Andrew72681 great info. Yeah car rental doesn’t look too bad. Do you (or anyone) know how much it costs to park daily at the cruise terminal? Looks like parking at the terminal is 17 a day. Most of the major car companies have locations near the port so you wouldn’t have to pay for the car while you’re on the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda216 Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 @Andrew72681 thanks for helping me sort this out. I can’t compare costs if I don’t have an idea of the hidden things like parking (if we borrow in laws car) vs a rental. My brains swimming but I have to remember I have time to watch prices and collect data. What might tip the scales is how high kennel costs are now to board or dog. Oh how I don’t want to drive to Florida again next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Landry Posted April 17, 2019 Report Share Posted April 17, 2019 We got off the ship last Saturday in Miami and had plenty of time for a 1020 flight out of FLL. We booked a Uber for 4 of us and was 30 dollars. We lined up at 630 am to get off ship after a quick bite in the Windjammer and was through customs and in in Uber by 715. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegrass Gal Posted April 24, 2019 Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 Is there any way to request a lower luggage tag # to ensure an earlier disembarkation time? We are using a private transfer company to the airport, not one arranged through Royal Caribbean. Suggestions, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHobbys Posted April 24, 2019 Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 13 minutes ago, Bluegrass Gal said: Is there any way to request a lower luggage tag # to ensure an earlier disembarkation time? We are using a private transfer company to the airport, not one arranged through Royal Caribbean. Suggestions, please! You may be able to check with guest services to see if they can help you get a lower luggage tag # and get the earlier disembarkation time. But, you may want to do that during your cruise and NOT on the last day you could be in for a little wait as there may be a lot of folks in line on the last day wrapping up lose ends. Bluegrass Gal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted April 24, 2019 Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 53 minutes ago, Bluegrass Gal said: Is there any way to request a lower luggage tag # to ensure an earlier disembarkation time? We are using a private transfer company to the airport, not one arranged through Royal Caribbean. Suggestions, please! If you are capable of carrying your own bags off (No disrespect intended, but I don't know your physical abilities in my response) then you can do the self disembarkation. This means you have to carry your own bags off the ship, once you get in the building you can find a porter to take them through customs with you. You can usually be off as early as 7-8 depending on when the ship actually arrives. If you are in a suite, you can self disembark and your luggage will be waiting for you at the luggage pick up for suites. My Wife and I usually self disembark, we have been in a suite lately, so the Suite Concierge escorts you off the ship, but we still each have a back pack and 1 small piece of luggage that out toiletries and dirty night clothes go in, then we pick up our luggage in the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegrass Gal Posted April 24, 2019 Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 19 minutes ago, tiny260 said: If you are capable of carrying your own bags off (No disrespect intended, but I don't know your physical abilities in my response) then you can do the self disembarkation. This means you have to carry your own bags off the ship, once you get in the building you can find a porter to take them through customs with you. You can usually be off as early as 7-8 depending on when the ship actually arrives. If you are in a suite, you can self disembark and your luggage will be waiting for you at the luggage pick up for suites. My Wife and I usually self disembark, we have been in a suite lately, so the Suite Concierge escorts you off the ship, but we still each have a back pack and 1 small piece of luggage that out toiletries and dirty night clothes go in, then we pick up our luggage in the building. We could carry our own bags, but it would be much more pleasant if we didn't have too (especially if there are stairs to navigate)! I'm afraid we'll have several bags for a 7 night cruise involving a 21 year old daughter. :-) Thanks for the suggestions, though! tiny260 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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