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hello everyone so my Cuba trip got ruined like everyone else's so we made a change to now go on navigator so we can do COCO cay.  here is my question their is a 9am flight from MIA to PHL that we would like to take on the day we get back..its just my wife and i no kids and we dont plan on checking a bag.  it says the boat arrives at 6am.  can we be in an UBER by 7am?  we also have TSA precheck

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10 minutes ago, av3206 said:

it says the boat arrives at 6am. 

This is a common misconception.  Yes, your ship is scheduled  to arrive back at 6am, but you cannot get off the ship at that time.

When a cruise ship arrives back, it must be inspected and US Customs must clear the ship for disembarkation. Moreover, there's then a disembarkation process to follow.

11 minutes ago, av3206 said:

here is my question their is a 9am flight from MIA to PHL that we would like to take on the day we get back

Has it been done? Yes.

Is it advisable? No. 

You will be required to hustle quite a bit to be among the first to get off the ship, and then you still have to contend with Miami traffic, airport security lines, etc.

If at all possible, I wouldn't book anything until 10am.

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Will Navigator be at Terminal A in Miami and do you have US passports?  If you don't have passports, then don't try.  

We were on Symphony and caught a 9:45 flight out of FLL and arrived to the Ft Lauderdale airport by 7:45.  It took us 13 minutes once they opened the gangway to get off the ship, through customs and into our Uber at about 7:05.  I don't know if Navigator is as efficient but customs at Terminal A is very efficient.  There was no stopping and waiting like at Port Everglades.  The disembarkation process did not begin until 6:48 and I was starting to get nervous but Terminal A was a walk thru.

If you are comfortable with the chance that your ship could be late, the ship may be subject to a customs inspection, etc where you could miss the flight and you are ok to pay the rebooking fees then go for it.  It is a risk vs reward analysis and only you can decide.   For us, the 10% risk of things not working out was worth it to us.  I was nervous but my husband travels for business frequently and to him this was an easy decision to go for it. 

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5 minutes ago, melski94 said:

Will Navigator be at Terminal A

I messaged to ask about our October Navigator cruise and was told she sails from Terminal G. We used Terminal A for Symphony and it was fast and great. Don't know if Terminal G sailings live up to that.

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23 minutes ago, Skid said:

I messaged to ask about our October Navigator cruise and was told she sails from Terminal G. We used Terminal A for Symphony and it was fast and great. Don't know if Terminal G sailings live up to that.

Navigator has consistently sailed out of Terminal A since Mariner moved up to Port Canaveral. There are no other Royal Caribbean ships in Miami on Friday’s and Monday’s, so there is no reason for Navigator to use a different terminal.

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1 hour ago, av3206 said:

 can we be in an UBER by 7am?  we also have TSA precheck

That is the key...IF you can be in an Uber by 7am...you can be at the airport by 7:30.....and prob make boarding......

 

getting the Uber by 7 is the biggest risk in all of this.....

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1 minute ago, monctonguy said:

That is the key...IF you can be in an Uber by 7am...you can be at the airport by 7:30.....and prob make boarding......

 

getting the Uber by 7 is the biggest risk in all of this.....

Way too many unknown variables.

1. If it’s a weekend your chances are better. Weekday mornings are a traffic nightmare in Downtown.

2. Are you in a suite so that you can be expedited off the ship?

3. Issues with customs for the entire ship. Sometimes they delay the entire ship for hours doing a “random” inspection. I can tell you from experience week in and week out at Port Everglades that these inspections happen more then one might think. 

You should maybe look at the 3:00pm departure and take any potential for stress out of your vacation. You could grab a Cuban coffee at Bayside and then have a nice lunch before heading to MIA. 

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To pile on with the doubters you may also need to do some research on the airline and their ticket process.  We also have TSA precheck  but that only helps with the security line.  Some airlines let you get your boarding pass in advance and since you don't plan to check luggage you might be able to go directly to security.  However if you need to get boarding documents or check something you also going to be a the mercy of that line.  We usually fly out of FLL instead of Miami so I don't know for sure.  We usually check luggage and I can tell you that easily can add 30 minutes or more that you probably don't have to spare.  Good luck.

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5 hours ago, StayFrosty said:

Navigator has consistently sailed out of Terminal A since Mariner moved up to Port Canaveral. There are no other Royal Caribbean ships in Miami on Friday’s and Monday’s, so there is no reason for Navigator to use a different terminal.

Interesting. The folks at the FB message center have always given me accurate information in the past. Wondering if they made a mistake or if things are changing by October??

I'd much rather go from Terminal A...I didn't get a picture of the HUGE propeller last time ?

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7 hours ago, av3206 said:

its a tuff call its a 9am flight or 3pm.   i think we are going to go for it.  

This is a bad idea.. You will be getting in on either a Monday or Friday.. Traffic during the week in Miami is a NIGHTMARE.. Most people are used to getting in on a Saturday or Sunday and Traffic is much less.. I really think you should reconsider.. I live in this area and I am telling you I would never choose this option. 

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1 hour ago, mbk999 said:

I remember a similar post about a year ago, someone had booked a 0845 flight out of FLL.   If I recall correctly, there was some pre-cruise coordination to ensure they were the first ones off when the ship was cleared.    

Leaving out of ft Lauderdale is a very different Animal than Miami.. I am from here I know this first hand.. I am not trying to discredit people but only if you live down here would you understand.. Since they are getting in on a weekday this is a bad idea... Downtown Miami and the surrounding highways are a madhouse at this time of day.. They don't let people off the boat until 6:45- 7 AM because it has to be cleared so even if they were the first off the ship and got into a car by 7:30 all it takes is one accident on the highway and it could take atleast an hour to get to the airport.. Its just are really really bad idea when leaving from Miami... Now if they were sailing into Ft. Lauderdale and the flight left from Ft. Lauderdale then this could absolutely be accomplished because the airport is literally 5 min from the port but since its Miami its just a bad idea too many traffic variables that only South Floridians understand. 

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1 minute ago, av3206 said:

well you all win!  i told my wife the feeback and now the flight is canceled i was able to do so with in the 24 hours.  now we will be taking a 12pm from FLL or a 2 from miami.  if it was not MIA i think we would have been ok but i always forget how big the city really is.  thanks everyone!

Great decision 

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4 minutes ago, av3206 said:

well you all win!  i told my wife the feeback and now the flight is canceled i was able to do so with in the 24 hours.  now we will be taking a 12pm from FLL or a 2 from miami.  if it was not MIA i think we would have been ok but i always forget how big the city really is.  thanks everyone!

Not only is it big, it’s chaos on the weekday mornings. I think you made a good decision. 

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4 minutes ago, av3206 said:

well you all win!  i told my wife the feeback and now the flight is canceled i was able to do so with in the 24 hours.  now we will be taking a 12pm from FLL or a 2 from miami.  if it was not MIA i think we would have been ok but i always forget how big the city really is.  thanks everyone!

Very good decision.. I recommend the 12 pm out of Ft. Lauderdale.. Much smaller quieter airport.. Just my personal preference but you will be good to go either way.. 

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