First Time Cruiser - Have a few Questions

[MoBrien]

Hi Al

 

Myself and my partner will be sailing on our first cruise on 27th August. We are sailing on Allure of Seas from Fort Lauderdale (Eastern Caribbean cruise).

We are looking forward to it but we didn't realise that so much planning//booking/research would need to be done before we board the ship. I'm so glad i came across this forum as it has been a great help to us so far but I still have a few questions and I'm sorry if these questions have already been asked on the forum

1) Embarkation Day - How early should we arrive at Port Everglades Port. I have read that there can be long queues. I have also read on this forum if i download the passport    app that this could speed things up for us. We are thinking of arriving around 10am - is this too early? Also once we board the ship are we allowed access to our cabin or will this     happen later during the day?

2) Dining Packages - We are thinking of adding a 3 night dining package to our cruise - the fee we pay for this, is this a cover charge for the restaurants or will this cover our       meals. Our travel agent added prepaid gratuities to our cruise when she booked it for us so we are wondering, if we book this package is the gratuity still included or do we just       tip our waiter 20% at the end of our meal.

3) Disembarking Day - our cruise docks at 6:15am at Fort Lauderdale. Since researching this forum i see you cant just get off the ship, that you are given an allocated time but i have also seen that if you carry your own luggage off and don't leave it out the night before you can disembark first. The thing is that we have already booked an 08:35am flight from Fort Lauderdale airport to New Orleans for the second part of our holiday(vacation) before researching this forum. We thought we would just be able to get off the ship once it docked at 6:15am.

Is it possible to still make our 08:35am flight if we carry our own luggage off the ship. I have checked with our airline Jet Blue and we need to be checked in no later than 40 minutes before our flight so that would be 07:55am. We were just going to get an Uber to the airport once we got off the ship.

[DunkelBierJay]

37 minutes ago, MoBrien said:

1) Embarkation Day - How early should we arrive at Port Everglades Port. I have read that there can be long queues. I have also read on this forum if i download the passport    app that this could speed things up for us. We are thinking of arriving around 10am - is this too early? Also once we board the ship are we allowed access to our cabin or will this     happen later during the day?

 

Arriving at 10 is a good time to arrive. You may have a short wait if there are no issues with the ship or terminal logistics. You will receive an email from Royal with a recommended boarding time. It is safe to ignore it. Usually, cabins are available at 1:00 pm. I like to go a few minutes after if I didn't hear an announcement. If it's not available, the main doors to the corridors will be closed. If so, that's a good time to check out another bar on board.

 

37 minutes ago, MoBrien said:

2) Dining Packages - We are thinking of adding a 3 night dining package to our cruise - the fee we pay for this, is this a cover charge for the restaurants or will this cover our       meals. Our travel agent added prepaid gratuities to our cruise when she booked it for us so we are wondering, if we book this package is the gratuity still included or do we just       tip our waiter 20% at the end of our meal.

 

The dining package and pre-paid gratutites are separate. 

 

37 minutes ago, MoBrien said:

3) Disembarking Day - our cruise docks at 6:15am at Fort Lauderdale. Since researching this forum i see you cant just get off the ship, that you are given an allocated time but i have also seen that if you carry your own luggage off and don't leave it out the night before you can disembark first. The thing is that we have already booked an 08:35am flight from Fort Lauderdale airport to New Orleans for the second part of our holiday(vacation) before researching this forum. We thought we would just be able to get off the ship once it docked at 6:15am.

Wow...that is cutting it close despite how near FLL is to Port Everglades. If you self carry, get to the designated disembarkation location as early as possible...I would say a few minutes before the time on your disembarkation sheet. I would not use Royal's luggage service. That will pin you into designated disembarkation time that could easily be well after your flight. So, self-carry is your only option as I see it. I have not used the passport app, but I hear that it speeds things up in customs -- I think it is only available for US citizens, so if you are Irish, you may have to do it the traditional way -- someone correct me if I am wrong. You may also be able to get a porter to get you to the front of the line after you get off the ship. They work on tips. If there are no weather issues, no issues with customs clearing the ship for disembarkation, and you're at the front of the line, you should be able to make your flight. At any rate, if it were me, I would investigate whether or not I could change to a later flight. You will be with 6,000 other passengers, many of whom have may similar situations.

 

37 minutes ago, MoBrien said:

Is it possible to still make our 08:35am flight if we carry our own luggage off the ship. I have checked with our airline Jet Blue and we need to be checked in no later than 40 minutes before our flight so that would be 07:55am. We were just going to get an Uber to the airport once we got off the ship.

The most fortunate thing is the proximity of the airport to the port. You are cutting it very close...way too close in my estimation, because there are so many things that could affect the ship's arrival as well as the bottle neck possibilities at customs even with self-carry off the ship. Like I wrote above, I would see if there is a way to get a later flight without a penalty. You could always call the airline and plead a little...

Edited June 9, 2017 by Spiegeje
error correction

[BrianAlt]

1 hour ago, MoBrien said:

Is it possible to still make our 08:35am flight if we carry our own luggage off the ship. I have checked with our airline Jet Blue and we need to be checked in no later than 40 minutes before our flight so that would be 07:55am. We were just going to get an Uber to the airport once we got off the ship.

No way.  Recently was telling someone on FB 10 AM was too early.  You'll be lucky to be through customs before 9 AM.  Then you need to get to the airport (okay, it's close), check your luggage and get through security.  I think I only once booked a flight before noon and it was in FLL.  But it was 11:30.  Not worth it.

[Matt]

1 hour ago, MoBrien said:

2) Dining Packages - We are thinking of adding a 3 night dining package to our cruise - the fee we pay for this, is this a cover charge for the restaurants or will this cover our       meals. Our travel agent added prepaid gratuities to our cruise when she booked it for us so we are wondering, if we book this package is the gratuity still included or do we just       tip our waiter 20% at the end of our meal.

The dining package pays for the cover charge at the restaurant.  Here's more information on the dining packages: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/01/28/spotlight-royal-caribbean-dining-packages

[MoBrien]

Thanks all for your responses. Seems like as a newbie to cruising I've made a big blunder/mistake with our flights on disembarkation day. I thought because the ship docks early morning people would avail of breakfast before disembarking the ship and we could have gotten off straight away & through customs all within an hour. 

We had paid a fee with Jet Blue to use the facility of express security etc so we thought this would get us through security check quickly.

i must now re-look at flights as JetBlue don't have any other flights out of FLL that day & the next direct flight with another airline is not till after 5pm that day.

[DocLC]

Regarding specialty dining, the package covers everything. There's nothing additional you'll need to pay. I'm also a big fan of the 3 night dining package. On the Allure, I'd recommend 150 Central Park, Giovanni's, and Chops. 

We arrived slightly before 10 when we sailed the Allure this year and there were no lines. Do keep in mind, however, that you likely won't be able to board the ship until 11 or 12, so you will spend some time waiting. 

Your flight time has me nervous. The earliest they will likely allow passengers to disembark is 7 am. You'll need to do self-assist disembarkation where you carry your own bags off and I'd recommend lining up at the games at least a half hour before they say to so that you're one of the first off so you can get through Customs and get in a cab as fast as possible. 

[mbk999]

1 hour ago, MoBrien said:

Thanks all for your responses. Seems like as a newbie to cruising I've made a big blunder/mistake with our flights on disembarkation day. I thought because the ship docks early morning people would avail of breakfast before disembarking the ship and we could have gotten off straight away & through customs all within an hour. 

We had paid a fee with Jet Blue to use the facility of express security etc so we thought this would get us through security check quickly.

i must now re-look at flights as JetBlue don't have any other flights out of FLL that day & the next direct flight with another airline is not till after 5pm that day.

Sorry about the change in plans but there's almost zero chance of making that original flight.  Did you check flying  out of Miami?  If you take your own luggage off the ship, you should be able to make an early afternoon flight out of Miami.  If not, there's always the beaches in Lauderdale and/or you can do an excursion on disembarkation day.  We flew into FLL and sailed out of Miami.  We rented a car but others can chime in with additional transportation options.

[MoBrien]

20 minutes ago, mbk999 said:

Sorry about the change in plans but there's almost zero chance of making that original flight.  Did you check flying  out of Miami?  If you take your own luggage off the ship, you should be able to make an early afternoon flight out of Miami.  If not, there's always the beaches in Lauderdale and/or you can do an excursion on disembarkation day.  We flew into FLL and sailed out of Miami.  We rented a car but others can chime in with additional transportation options.

Flights out of Miami airport are also late evening. I'm looking at flights now out of FLL with a short layover - do you think if we took our own luggage off the ship that we could make a 10:40am flight with Southwest Airline or should we go with a later flight at either 11:25am (Southwest Airlines) or 12:00 with United

[WAAAYTOOO]

Mo, are you flying within the United States or are you flying directly back to Ireland ?

If you are flying internationally, I would recommend the noon flight.  There are often delays relating to international terminals that are just unpredictable.

Very sorry to hear that you are having to rebook flights.  Unfortunately, I concur with the others on this one.  The chances are almost -0- that you would make an 8:30 AM flight, ESPECIALLY if you are flying internationally.

Enjoy your cruise !  It will be awesome and if you make the change to a later flight, I think your trip home will be much more relaxing.

[MoBrien]

1 minute ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Mo, are you flying within the United States or are you flying directly back to Ireland ?

If you are flying internationally, I would recommend the noon flight.  There are often delays relating to international terminals that are just unpredictable.

Very sorry to hear that you are having to rebook flights.  Unfortunately, I concur with the others on this one.  The chances are almost -0- that you would make an 8:30 AM flight, ESPECIALLY if you are flying internationally.

Enjoy your cruise !  It will be awesome and if you make the change to a later flight, I think your trip home will be much more relaxing.

No we are not flying back to Ireland. We are flying onto New Orleans for a few days so it will be a domestic flight and from past experiences of flying on domestic flights within United States you have to check your bags in no later than 45mins before departure.

We were hoping to get to New Orleans early that day as we are meeting up with friends who are now living in the States and are flying into New Orleans to meet up with us and celebrate Labor Day weekend so we were hoping  to make the most of our time with them.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies and help. I just have to break the news now to my partner this evening that we have to re-book flights and do a layover. He wont be happy.

[BrianAlt]

10:40 is doable, but only because FLL is so close.  But what you're risking is there being an issue at the port and no one getting off till much later than planned.  It happens every now and then.

[mbk999]

52 minutes ago, MoBrien said:

Flights out of Miami airport are also late evening. I'm looking at flights now out of FLL with a short layover - do you think if we took our own luggage off the ship that we could make a 10:40am flight with Southwest Airline or should we go with a later flight at either 11:25am (Southwest Airlines) or 12:00 with United

I'm not familiar with the turnaround time from hitting port to clearing the Allure.  The airport is a 10 min cab ride (if that).  So if you're clear of the ship and customs by 0830-0900, shouldn't be a problem to make the 1040 but if there's a hiccup then you never know.  I'd be looking at layovers and cost and what time it gets you to your next stop.  If the 1040 flight is the cheapest and gets you there the fastest, I'd just be sure to carry the luggage and be one of the firsts at the meeting point on the ship.  For short domestic flights, I'd probably pick Southwest first over United.  but that's just my opinion.

[Matt]

5 hours ago, MoBrien said:

Thanks all for your responses. Seems like as a newbie to cruising I've made a big blunder/mistake with our flights on disembarkation day. I thought because the ship docks early morning people would avail of breakfast before disembarking the ship and we could have gotten off straight away & through customs all within an hour. 

It's worth calling them and explaining your mistake.  I once booked the wrong flight on the wrong week, and just a week before realized the error. I called JetBlue up and they waived the change fee.

[firegal2539]

MoBtien,

On Royal"s website it states to not book a flight before 11:30 am. Even with Self Assist the line is very long to get off the ship.

I just got off of the Explorer in Seattle, passengers were lined up at 6:15 am to get off and said it took them about 20 to 30 minutes to get off. Another 15 to 20 minutes to get through Customs. 

The airport is close to the port which will help. The 10:40 might be possible. You just have to hope nothing occurs that will slow you down, Customs slow down, long line for self assist, accident from port to airport, long Customs line. So much can happen.

I try to book my flights right at 11:30 and have had to sit for 2 hours waiting to take my 1130 flight but also got to the airport 1 hour before my flight and got to the gate as they were boarding the plane. It is a crap shoot.

On the dining packages your tip to the waiter is separate. You can choose as many appetizers, salads, soups, desserts as you want but only one entree. Chops is my favorite.

Many passengers put their swim suits in their carry on, while waiting for your cabin you can take a swim.

Candie

[jticarruthers]

8:30 - Very unlikely but if everything goes right it is possible. Back when I first started cruising I was not yet a US citizen and they required all of us non-citizens to basically do a pre-disembarkation Customs clearance .... at 5am. So for my first 3 cruises I was up and standing in line with my passport at 5am. Since I was already up we just went straight from there to the walk off waiting area and were "first off". Assuming ship arrived on time, etc. we were off before 7am. I wouldn't stake my life on it but if you wanted to invest the time in being "first off" and assume the ship is on time you could try it.

 

10:40 - shouldn't be an issue. Again every experience can vary ... ship might be late, customs might be slow, etc. but you should be safe.

[FManke]

I wanted an afternoon flight to avoid the craziness of having to race of the ship and try and make an earlier flight. Ours isn't until 2:20, so we should have a nice leisurely morning. This being our first cruise, I fear they will have to drag us off the ship! Which may add some time to debarkation. 

[DunkelBierJay]

On 6/9/2017 at 11:29 AM, MoBrien said:

Flights out of Miami airport are also late evening. I'm looking at flights now out of FLL with a short layover - do you think if we took our own luggage off the ship that we could make a 10:40am flight with Southwest Airline or should we go with a later flight at either 11:25am (Southwest Airlines) or 12:00 with United

My $.02 is the 11:25 am on Southwest is your sweet spot. This airline does not assign seats, so you will need to check in online 24 hours in advance to get a good boarding position. In this case, you will either need VOOM or purchase internet for your last day...maybe Guest Services on board can offer other options. Southwest is a great airline, but I don't know if there's a European equivalent in procedure. Maybe EasyJet, but I'm not sure. 

[DocLC]

13 minutes ago, Spiegeje said:

My $.02 is the 11:25 am on Southwest is your sweet spot. This airline does not assign seats, so you will need to check in online 24 hours in advance to get a good boarding position. In this case, you will either need VOOM or purchase internet for your last day...maybe Guest Services on board can offer other options. Southwest is a great airline, but I don't know if there's a European equivalent in procedure. Maybe EasyJet, but I'm not sure. 

An alternative is to pay the $15 fee to have them automatically check you in and assign you a boarding number.  This is what I usually do on cruises simply to avoid having to remember to do online check-in.

[MoBrien]

Thanks all for taking the time to reply and your input has been a great help to us. I spoke with Royal Caribbean on the phone today and they have told me that we can avail of priority boarding on disembarking the ship. I just need to speak to Guest Services once we board the ship and they will help us make our 08:35am flight. She said we would be allowed to disembark at 06:45am and as we are doing the self assist disembarking we should be through customs within 30mins.

However to be on the safe side we have also booked the 11:25am flight with Southwest. If we don't make our 08:35am flight we can just claim it against our travel insurance. 

23 hours ago, Spiegeje said:

My $.02 is the 11:25 am on Southwest is your sweet spot. This airline does not assign seats, so you will need to check in online 24 hours in advance to get a good boarding position. In this case, you will either need VOOM or purchase internet for your last day...maybe Guest Services on board can offer other options. Southwest is a great airline, but I don't know if there's a European equivalent in procedure. Maybe EasyJet, but I'm not sure. 

Glad to hear that Southwest are a great airline as we haven't flown with them before.

22 hours ago, DocLC said:

An alternative is to pay the $15 fee to have them automatically check you in and assign you a boarding number.  This is what I usually do on cruises simply to avoid having to remember to do online check-in.

Thanks for letting me know about the $15 fee.