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Arriving early for cruise


BB1

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I believe, the terminal does not open until 10:00 am and even if you could get into the terminal there is nothing to do nor see. Not sure what you could do that early in Miami to kill the time. We always get the the port the day before, stay in a nice hotel and get to the terminal no later than 10:00. :27_sunglasses:

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21 minutes ago, twangster said:

Possibly delay departure times as well so there is more time to spread out check in.  Instead of sailing at 4pm, sail at 8pm and enforce check in times to avoid a spike early in the day.    

Wouldn’t see it going that late. That would basically remove the entire first day of casino revenue. 

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22 minutes ago, BB1 said:

I don't know the airport.  I guess what I'm asking is, after we get our luggage, what can we do? Is there somewhere at the airport we can wait with our luggage, possibly take a nap?

I've only flown into EWR once on cruise day landing  before 0730.  We had an Airport transfer through RCL. A representative was waiting for us at baggage claim and led us to waiting area in the lower level near ground transportation. This was  a comfortable place to wait. Shortly thereafter, we were called for transport, were able to check in upon arrival and waited in the suite area and boarded a  little after 10.

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51 minutes ago, BB1 said:

I don't know the airport.  I guess what I'm asking is, after we get our luggage, what can we do? Is there somewhere at the airport we can wait with our luggage, possibly take a nap?

I’m not sure which airline you are flying or when your cruise is, but the schedules have been reduced like crazy.  Even if you were allowed to book a flight that shows arriving at 6am (assuming that is a red eye) they might cancel and re-book you on a later flight the closer you get.  I am hoping for a quick recovery for the airlines sooner than later (I work for one), but point of my story is just keep an eye on it.  My personal recommendation would be come in the day prior and relax in a hotel and enjoy the stress free travel.  You can get a decent price on a hotel near the airport especially since the majority of them are hurting for business.  (Those that are even open.)

If this travel is in 2021 I’m hoping they will all be close to fully recovered by then and the schedule should stick.  

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Hi BB1,

I highly recommend arriving a day early rather than flying in the same morning. Miami is a destination unto itself.

My cancelled April RC cruise was set to sail out of Miami and I had researched a dozen different hotels I would like to stay in pre-cruise, from Miami beach to the Seminole Hard Rock and so forth.  One of our favorites is the Loew's--great pool!  I love the busy energy and vibe of South Beach! I sometimes go to Miami just for a few days, no cruise included.

You do not say where you are coming from or how long you will have been flying. You may be sleepy and not really want to do much that early, but there is nothing MORE boring than sitting in the cruise terminal waiting for boarding to begin, since cabins aren't ready anyway. 

If you want to splurge and take an Uber or a taxi, you can squeeze in some sightseeing.

Fun Miami activities I have done:

Nearby the ports area is Jungle Island-- a fun place to visit.

Beautiful Vizcaya combines history and gardens.

Duckboat tours of millionaire's row.

Breakfast at the Biltmore, Coral Gables.

Strolling and shopping South Beach.

Just don't be late and miss the muster or you will have to do it the next day!

 

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Thank you all for the good advice. Unfortunately I have to work the day before my cruise so I am taking a red eye. I'm sure I'll want to take a nap as I live out West and there is  a 3 hr. time change. I'm just trying to figure out what to do. Again, thanks.

 

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15 hours ago, twangster said:

Possibly delay departure times as well so there is more time to spread out check in.  Instead of sailing at 4pm, sail at 8pm and enforce check in times to avoid a spike early in the day.    

I certainly see enforcing arrival times & pushing back departure to limit number of people in terminals

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1 hour ago, BB1 said:

Thank you all for the good advice. Unfortunately I have to work the day before my cruise so I am taking a red eye. I'm sure I'll want to take a nap as I live out West and there is  a 3 hr. time change. I'm just trying to figure out what to do. Again, thanks.

 

As far as taking a nap in the airport terminal, most people plop down on those $5 for 15 min massage chairs... It is def more comfortable than sitting in a regular chair.  Bring a good eye mask and some noise cancelling headphones, but don’t forget to set your alarm! Haha

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I've been in a similar situation- taking the red eye out from Washington (I live on the east coast). My suggestion is to take a nap, get breakfast in the airport or nearby, and then take your time getting to the terminal. Miami opens at 10am so you'll have plenty of time to get there. Maybe a silver lining here: I often find myself rushing around and scrambling to get to the terminal because I am so anxious to get on the boat and want to stick to the schedule, but having those extra hours, you can take your time- it is vacation after all!

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We are like @RClDreamer96.  We have flown out of DC 1x on the day of the cruise and took the earliest flight.  Got there around 7 or so.  Had breakfast in a restaurant in the airport to kill time, but still had to wander the airport for about another 90 mins.

We typically fly on our own, but because we knew we had to fly in that day so we decided to do Sea to Air (?) with Royal.  We also used their transportation to the terminal.  We did this because we knew if G forbid happened RCL was going to make it work for us to get us to the ship.  We opted for the O'Dark thirty flight out of DC, so it would allow us the ability if that flight didn't go, there would be a few behind that we could get on.

If you use their transportation they have a meeting area that is clearly signed RCL.  

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Since I travel to and through MIA a lot for work, thought I would share some options.  Much of this will depend on the dates of your actual cruise and what services and business will be operating.

- MIA has quite a few clubs and restaurants as well as shopping so after you deplane you could just grab a bite and relax a little before hitting baggage claim.  That doesn’t let you rest much but if you really take your time, you likely won’t be to the port too early.

- There is a small hotel connected to the airport (Miami International Hotel?).  I had to stay there once due to flight delays and it isn’t terribly nice.  It would be an option to crash for a nap and grab a shower to freshen up.  It is pretty cheap, like $75, so even if you are charged for a full day it is not a great cost.  There are other nicer places around the airport but not sure how successful you would be on getting a day room.

- You could see if you could purchase a day pass to one of the lounges, or see if one of your credit cards might be a partner.  A few of those are pretty quiet and have some good options for food and drinks.  The Centurion lounge under normal conditions has showers and spa service.  Those service are currently suspended due to Covid.  

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Excellent suggestions but I have a question. I am flying in on American and have a credit card which i believe makes me able to buy a day pass. How do i get my luggage and then go to the lounge? I think the lounge is inside the security checkpoints. Thanks.

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13 minutes ago, BB1 said:

Excellent suggestions but I have a question. I am flying in on American and have a credit card which i believe makes me able to buy a day pass. How do i get my luggage and then go to the lounge? I think the lounge is inside the security checkpoints. Thanks.

PC (Pre Covid) there were Admirals Clubs in every MIA terminal (some had more than 1) but I’m not sure if they are open right now.  Many have been [temporarily?] closed.  Additionally, there was an announcement recently indicating that American was going to limit entrance into Admirals Clubs to departing guests only....meaning that if you do not have a ticket for a departing flight, they would deny you entry.  That may not apply to a daily pass....they might sell you a one days pass for other than a departing flight...but for a “regular” Club member, departing flights only -at least, that was the announcement several weeks ago.

I understand your question about leaving the secure area to get your luggage and then trying to get back inside a secured area to a Club.  I agree that it’s a problem.

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Hi BB1,

I've heard of Dayuse.com  - I planned but never had the opportunity to use them because of my cruise being canceled so I can't tell you much about it. I know they have some hotels that you can reserve for half day use or hourly. Wouldn't hurt to check it out!

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On 5/21/2020 at 6:18 PM, twangster said:

Possibly delay departure times as well so there is more time to spread out check in.  Instead of sailing at 4pm, sail at 8pm and enforce check in times to avoid a spike early in the day.    

Doubt they can do as late as 8pm can you imagine stopping people from eating dinner just to do muster drill. Not to mention the drinking all day

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55 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

I was thinking it was because at 8 pm in AK it is bright as it would be at 4 pm in San Juan. 

Not so much in September in AK.  Sunset in September is not much different than summertime in Florida where ships still sail at 4pm and sunset is experienced at sea. 

In Florida I suspect port operations and pilots drive the tradition we know of ships departing at or around 4pm.   Port operations may be a factor in moving ships away from the pier when they do.  For many itineraries the next stop is close enough to allow a later departure.  

As we look to restart the travel industry traditions we are used to have to re-examined.  Most airlines turn a plane in under 60 minutes and boarding typically starts 30 minutes prior to departure for most domestic flights.  Perhaps that needs to be re-examined during a pandemic.  A slower boarding process reduces risk of exposure.  A longer turnaround time leaves more time for cleaning between flights.    A slower turn reduces airline revenue since a plane may not fly as many legs in a day.

Slowing the cruise ship boarding process will reduce risk and exposure but it will come at a cost.  Casinos can't open on time, pilots may charge more after dark, ships have to increase speed to arrive at the next stop on time, etc.  However if that allows cruising to restart then the decision must be made to accept the costs if a delayed departure as the new normal means cruising can restart with greater safety during a pandemic.

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4 minutes ago, twangster said:

Not so much in September in AK.  Sunset in September is not much different than summertime in Florida where ships still sail at 4pm and sunset is experienced at sea. 

I lived right outside of Anchorage (Eagle River) for 4 yrs., husband flew F15E out of Elmendorf.  Trust me I know that. For us, from May 15th through Sept 15th we were camping every weekend.  

Anyone that has watched the local weather report will get this.  Everyday they start it off with we lost X amount of minutes of day light today (June-Dec) or today we gained X amt of minutes of day light.

For me Sept. is really pushing it for cruising season.   May is also a month I would shy away from.  We called it the SPIT month.  It doesn't rain per se it spits.  The mosquitos are HUGE.  Never saw them that size before and still haven't since we moved from there.  End of May to me would be perfection.  Salmon is running.  Mosquitos are smaller.  Spit is not happening, and you have a lot of day light.  Every solstice we would do a midnight white water rafting trip.  It ended at 3 a.m.  It was basically the same light as 7 pm where I live. 

Back to the regular programming of arriving early.

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As others have mentioned, airport lounges are a great opportunity! But it really just depends on when you are sailing. If it is anytime this year, I would doubt it is possible to gain access to a lounge on your arrival (since most lounges are closed or limiting access as it is). Not to mention, the lounges are located in the terminals next to departure gates... you wouldn't be able to grab your bags and then head back in. (you could leave them on the turnstile... but that sounds riiiiiisky to me!) 

Military Hospitality Lounge is an option (if you have an honorable separation from military service) that's outside the TSA checkpoint... but they don't open until 09:00... and are ALSO under restriction right now. 

Even the shopping and restaurants appear to be closed... https://www.shopmiamiairport.com/

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