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Arrival into town same day as embarkation?


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"they" always tell you it's the smart thing to do to arrive into town the day before your embarkation.  Does anyone ignore this and just arrive on embarkation day (I'm referring to those coming in by air)?

So, on our 3 previous sailings, we always have arrived the day before and gotten a hotel in order to avoid any hangups.  However, due to an issue with my work schedule that I absolutely can't get out of, I have the choice of either arriving around midnight the night before embarkation, or just flying out early the next morning.  We actually haven't booked yet but the sailing is at the end of this month, well within the 45 day check-in window, so I'm assuming we'll get that last place time slot for boarding. For reference, flying from DC to Orlando, its a pretty quick flight and there's one that gets us into MCO by 0930.

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It depends. Flying nonstop does make it less problematic. Are there later flights on your chosen airline that will get you to Orlando in time if your flight cancels? Where does the plane come from for your flight — does it overnight in DC so you’re more likely to depart on time-ish, or does it fly in that morning? How’s the fog in DC this time of year?

I used to be pretty blasé about flights, but when a 90 minute delay made us the Very Last People on our Med cruise back in the day it turned me into a “day before” convert. Personally I’d take the late night flight and just get a hotel right at the airport that night. 
 

 

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54 minutes ago, AlwaysRollin said:

I have the choice of either arriving around midnight the night before embarkation, or just flying out early the next morning.

Have you thought about weather conditions? Snow could REALLY screw up yours best plans out of DC on your embarkation day, regardless of your check in time. If it were me, I would take the flight that got me into your port around midnight, check into a hotel with a beach, get a good night sleep, enjoy the beach and then head off to your cruise ship. That way you will be well rested, stress free (hopefully) and pre-sun screened before boarding. Best wishes and hope it all works out for the best! 😎

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I just recently flew in day of because of my work schedule. I was on first flight and I brought my ticket from Air2Sea because they promise to get you to the ship.  Like others have stated, lots of factors can turn a day of flight into a nightmare.  I was lucky as I flew on American airlines first flight and no issues this time.

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1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

I just recently flew in day of because of my work schedule. I was on first flight and I brought my ticket from Air2Sea because they promise to get you to the ship.  Like others have stated, lots of factors can turn a day of flight into a nightmare.  I was lucky as I flew on American airlines first flight and no issues this time.

Does Air2Sea allow you to purchase your own ticket?  Part of my issue is that I HAVE to use an American Airlines flight credit or else it expires a week later (this is what brought on the impromptu search for a doable cruise in such a short time)..

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Air2Sea put us on Bahamas Air same day, I thought okay they say it's fine and its 50 minutes in the summer! NO, don't do it. How bad could a non stop from Orlando to Bahamas be? BAD! 

Come in at midnight the evening before. Especially with the cold weather right now and everything else, including air crew shortages. 

Our 50 minute flight turned into a 5 hour ordeal, long story short we were the last people on board, and if not for Air2Sea I'm not sure they would have waited because at that time once we landed we had to still check in and test at the hotel before we were allowed to board. 

I wouldn't wish that out of control sinking feeling on anyone. Heed our advice get there as soon as you can.  Have a great sailing!

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1 hour ago, Neesa said:

Air2Sea put us on Bahamas Air same day, I thought okay they say it's fine and its 50 minutes in the summer! NO, don't do it. How bad could a non stop from Orlando to Bahamas be? BAD! 

Come in at midnight the evening before. Especially with the cold weather right now and everything else, including air crew shortages. 

Our 50 minute flight turned into a 5 hour ordeal, long story short we were the last people on board, and if not for Air2Sea I'm not sure they would have waited because at that time once we landed we had to still check in and test at the hotel before we were allowed to board. 

I wouldn't wish that out of control sinking feeling on anyone. Heed our advice get there as soon as you can.  Have a great sailing!

Great illustration of the guarantee that Air2Sea will get you to the ship, but there's no assurance it won't be a stressful process in doing so.

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10 hours ago, WesKinetic said:

99% chance you'll have no problems, so it just depends on your tolerance for risk and if you're willing to take that 1% chance. 

I'm not sure that 99% of flights are on time these days.  When flying in on same day, delays and cancellations could easily make you miss sail time.  Add in lost luggage and there is a lot that can go wrong.

The issue gets especially bad if you are flying from a smaller airport with few flights and connections that double the risk.

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9 hours ago, AlwaysRollin said:

Does Air2Sea allow you to purchase your own ticket?  Part of my issue is that I HAVE to use an American Airlines flight credit or else it expires a week later (this is what brought on the impromptu search for a doable cruise in such a short time)..

I tried to use credits last year for air2sea going to Nassau and they wouldn't allow it.  Even using my AA credits the day, before AA changed my flights  and at that time they were cancelling flights.  I'd fly in the day before and get a hotel close to the airport and get some sleep before the cruise.  With all the cancellations lately I'd be a nervous wreck.  

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13 hours ago, AlwaysRollin said:

"they" always tell you it's the smart thing to do to arrive into town the day before your embarkation.  Does anyone ignore this and just arrive on embarkation day (I'm referring to those coming in by air)?

So, on our 3 previous sailings, we always have arrived the day before and gotten a hotel in order to avoid any hangups.  However, due to an issue with my work schedule that I absolutely can't get out of, I have the choice of either arriving around midnight the night before embarkation, or just flying out early the next morning.  We actually haven't booked yet but the sailing is at the end of this month, well within the 45 day check-in window, so I'm assuming we'll get that last place time slot for boarding. For reference, flying from DC to Orlando, its a pretty quick flight and there's one that gets us into MCO by 0930.

We arrived the same day in Europe twice, largely due to my son's school schedule and the high cost of hotel rooms for a party of 3 (Spain insisted on two rooms).  We survived hiccups along the way -- flight cancelled, then train broke down, then planes changed.   I wouldn't do it again to Europe, but with Air2Sea and trip insurance, we really thought it would work.  And it did.  The time of year makes a difference (we did this in summer), and I always had a list of back-up connections.

Going to NZ, we made it appoint to travel a day early, and guess what -- the airlines lost our luggage....That broke my wife's heart.

All you can do is plan with the best information you have, carry insurance, and be determined to ride out the ups and downs.

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With uncertainty in  weather and crew related cancelations and delays, we always travel day prior.   As we live near a major airport hub, we also purchase direct flights.   I have family members that cruise every month (casino users) and they travel "day of" to avoid hotel expenses.  They've  had exceptional luck in not missing a cruise traveling from VA to FL or TX.

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I flew in the day of to Bahamas over the summer. Everything worked out fine, but I find it stressful. 

Over Thanksgiving we flew to San Juan PR the night before.  Good thing as my son had a problem with his flight and barely made the ship. 

I'm a firm believer in flying in the day before. It's just a lot less stressful 

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We were flying into Quebec City for a 13 Night Snowbird Migration Cruise one day early and our flight...The last flight of the day from Ottawa to Quebec had already taken off before we had taken off from Orlando.  We had to rent a car at Ottawa and drive to Quebec to make the cruise.  We always fly in a day early but sometimes that might not be early enough.

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20 years ago, I’d fly the morning of the cruise. A few years ago, I started going the day before and it’s much less stressful. For my April cruise, I’m going 2 days before. The flight situation has me very very nervous. I’d go even earlier, but with the testing requirement, I want to be tested before I waste a trip to Florida. 

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15 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

 Air2Sea because they promise to get you to the ship.

I always like to remind everyone that there is no 100% promise or guarantee. They'll do their best, but they can't create seats or add flights to destinations, so it's still a risk. I think flying in the day before is a better guarantee than using Air2Sea for a day-of-departure flight. 

14 hours ago, AlwaysRollin said:

Does Air2Sea allow you to purchase your own ticket?  Part of my issue is that I HAVE to use an American Airlines flight credit or else it expires a week later (this is what brought on the impromptu search for a doable cruise in such a short time)..

I can't imagine they would. Their whole purpose is to sell tickets that they have procured from airlines at a discounted/bulk rate. If they aren't making money on your flights, I don't know why they would protect them. 

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I would take the late flight the day before. We had an early nonstop flight to Orlando once and the airport had a fog delay. The pilot mentioned diverting to Tampa if the fog didn’t lift in time. Luckily that flight worked out but was stressful. So weather delays aren’t just in the snow belt. Now we always arrive 2 days before the cruise and enjoy a mini vacation at the port city.

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23 hours ago, KristiZ said:

It depends. Flying nonstop does make it less problematic. Are there later flights on your chosen airline that will get you to Orlando in time if your flight cancels? Where does the plane come from for your flight — does it overnight in DC so you’re more likely to depart on time-ish, or does it fly in that morning? How’s the fog in DC this time of year?

I used to be pretty blasé about flights, but when a 90 minute delay made us the Very Last People on our Med cruise back in the day it turned me into a “day before” convert. Personally I’d take the late night flight and just get a hotel right at the airport that night. 
 

 

I agree.  Flight in late at night and get hotel at airport.  Less stress.

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We typically fly in same day due to my work schedule, but we're also in Atlanta so Hartsfield typically has plenty of flights and backup options in the event we run into a problem. I definitely wouldn't be nearly as comfortable risking it if I was flying in from a smaller airport or was going to have any sort of layover or connecting flight.

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