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A perfect example of why you fly the day before...


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Scheduled to leave YYZ at 930am. Scheduled to arrive at FLL at 1215pm.

 

At about noon we are cleared for approach. Then we go into a holding pattern for an hour due to t-storms in Fort Lauderdale. After an hour of left turns we are almost out of fuel. We have to land at MCO for jet fuel and to wait out the storm.

 

We landed safely but by the time our bags were off the carousel it was 4pm.  If we were flying in the day of departure we would have missed the ship!

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52 minutes ago, RestingBirds said:

YYZ...Is that a Canadian airport named after the band Rush?  Or maybe the other way around...

Great song!

Great band!

You can't find three guys, who play together in one band, as talented as they are!

Geddy and Neil are arguably the best ever to play their instruments.

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14 minutes ago, FManke said:

Great song!

Great band!

You can't find three guys, who play together in one band, as talented as they are!

Geddy and Neil are arguably the best ever to play their instruments.

Geddy Lee might be a fine bass player... But the voice.. His voice... I can't listen to it. I'd rather have acid poured on my ear drums. 

 

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9 hours ago, FManke said:

Great song!

Great band!

You can't find three guys, who play together in one band, as talented as they are!

Geddy and Neil are arguably the best ever to play their instruments.

I agree, and Alex Lifeson (sp?) doesn't get the credit he is due, phenomenal guitarist.

@constable145, my wife agrees with you, lol.

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6 hours ago, RestingBirds said:

I agree, and Alex Lifeson (so?) doesn't get the credit he is due, phenomenal guitarist.

@constable145, my wife agrees with you, lol.

Geddy, Neil and Alex are all fine musicians. And I love that Geddy is a hardcore Blue Jays fan and is often seen behind home plate with his own score sheet.. But his voice.. That voice... Ugh.. 2112 is a listenable song.. Because it is an instrumental. 

 

Also for the life of me I can't figure out how Rush gets more notoriety as far as Canadian bands go then the Guess Who... Guess who had far more hits... And Burton Cummings can actually sing! 

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Given that I have no choice to fly in to FLL the morning after my wedding, I'm going to pray to the weather gods that everything keeps quiet and we'll get there on time. Stories like this scare me and are why I normally fly in early. Scheduled departure at 8:00 AM from CVG and arrival in FLL at 10:30 AM. 

Not ideal, but given that we will be wrapping up our wedding celebration at 11 PM the night before we don't have a huge choice in the matter. I guess the worst case scenario is that we'd fly to Jamaica and spend a couple days at a resort before meeting the ship in Falmouth.

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37 minutes ago, KLAconQueso said:

Given that I have no choice to fly in to FLL the morning after my wedding, I'm going to pray to the weather gods that everything keeps quiet and we'll get there on time. Stories like this scare me and are why I normally fly in early. Scheduled departure at 8:00 AM from CVG and arrival in FLL at 10:30 AM. 

Not ideal, but given that we will be wrapping up our wedding celebration at 11 PM the night before we don't have a huge choice in the matter. I guess the worst case scenario is that we'd fly to Jamaica and spend a couple days at a resort before meeting the ship in Falmouth.

I would not recommend spending ANY time in Jamaica, especially Falmouth! Lots of crime and unsafe areas. Any chance of getting an earlier flight, like a red eye special? If you can't and the flight you have booked, be sure you get RC airport transfers. :27_sunglasses:

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1 hour ago, KLAconQueso said:

Given that I have no choice to fly in to FLL the morning after my wedding, I'm going to pray to the weather gods that everything keeps quiet and we'll get there on time. Stories like this scare me and are why I normally fly in early. Scheduled departure at 8:00 AM from CVG and arrival in FLL at 10:30 AM. 

Not ideal, but given that we will be wrapping up our wedding celebration at 11 PM the night before we don't have a huge choice in the matter. I guess the worst case scenario is that we'd fly to Jamaica and spend a couple days at a resort before meeting the ship in Falmouth.

Pfft. Change the wedding date..  Nothing gets in the way of a cruise. 

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35 minutes ago, rjac said:

I would not recommend spending ANY time in Jamaica, especially Falmouth! Lots of crime and unsafe areas. Any chance of getting an earlier flight, like a red eye special? If you can't and the flight you have booked, be sure you get RC airport transfers. :27_sunglasses:

 Hahaha! Okay... maybe we just rent a car and drive down to the keys (we do have travel insurance!) and meet Allure for the second leg ?

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5 hours ago, constable145 said:

Geddy, Neil and Alex are all fine musicians. And I love that Geddy is a hardcore Blue Jays fan and is often seen behind home plate with his own score sheet.. But his voice.. That voice... Ugh.. 2112 is a listenable song.. Because it is an instrumental. 

 

Also for the life of me I can't figure out how Rush gets more notoriety as far as Canadian bands go then the Guess Who... Guess who had far more hits... And Burton Cummings can actually sing! 

I've been listening to them since 1977, so I guess I've just grown used to it! :10_wink:

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Whenever I fly in for a cruise, I am TERRIFIED of missing my ship!  So i fly in the day before... We also fly from T.Dot, and personally, I like to arrive a day early, especially in Miami, where we have a preferred hotel/hangout spot near the port.  It's nice to fly in, go buy a bottle of wine and some essentials, and just chill the day before a cruise....

 

And Rush DOES rock!  Saw them a few times, last was the R40 tour, and damn.  They were amazing!

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Yes, the Royal guarantee does work.  Couple years ago we purchased air through Choice Air and transfers through Royal.  We were to leave DFW on the same day of the cruise with a connecting flight at ORD.  Lightening storm hit DFW and we were delayed so that we would miss our connecting flight.  We called Royal and they got us on a direct flight which would get us there later than the last transfer to the port.  They arranged for a special bus waiting for us to transfer.  As it turned out we were not the only ones on that bus.  Yes, we were amazed at the quick response.  These days we have more time so we go in the day before.  

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I would never fly in the day of....during summer or winter. Its just too risky....weather, mechanical, technical issues can arise at anytime. Air travel is what it is.

 

In the winter, I like to fly in 2 days before to be safe whenever possible. I have never booked Choice Air as it is always way more expensive and I could just fly in the extra day and spend it in the hotel for the price difference.

 

Besides, I enjoy the day or two pre-cruise vacation in Orlando or Miami etc.......

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Ditto with flying in an extra day early, and no way would I risk flying in the day of. Being able to explore the port city is always nice, especially for someone like me who hasn't done a lot of traveling until now. And it gives time for getting those two bottles of wine to bring on board! :10_wink:

Not exactly the same thing, but "fun" little anectode along these lines. @KLAconQueso , do not read this if you want to avoid pre-wedding stress!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning after my wedding. New wife and I are up at 3 AM for the limo that's supposed to take us to the airport for our honeymoon in Hawaii. We've told it to pick us up at the hotel we're staying at no later than 4 AM due to our early flight and needing to be at the airport two hours prior. 4 AM comes and goes, no limo. 4:30 goes by. I'm wigging out. Ask the hotel desk if they can please call a taxi and let them know the urgency.

Taxi guy arrives at like 5:15, and our flight leaves at 7. It's easily an hour's drive from where we are, and if there's any kind of traffic we're going to be screwed.

We told the driver about our situation, and that taxi driver flew down the highway at speeds I don't want to think about, and thankfully there was no traffic on any of the highways. We pulled into EWR at 6 AM, and I tipped that guy really generously. Had a smooth flight after that and a great honeymoon.

Here's the punchline...

We get home two weeks later, and after unpacking our stuff I go through the answering machine messages. And there on the morning after our wedding are two messages from the limo driver, saying he's parked outside our apartment and waiting for us! This after I called them a few days beforehand to make clear to them not to go there and made sure they had the address of the hotel we'd be at! That was the last time we ever booked a limo using a Valpak coupon to save a few dollars!!

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On 8/25/2017 at 6:00 PM, constable145 said:

Scheduled to leave YYZ at 930am. Scheduled to arrive at FLL at 1215pm.

 

At about noon we are cleared for approach. Then we go into a holding pattern for an hour due to t-storms in Fort Lauderdale. After an hour of left turns we are almost out of fuel. We have to land at MCO for jet fuel and to wait out the storm.

 

We landed safely but by the time our bags were off the carousel it was 4pm.  If we were flying in the day of departure we would have missed the ship!

That is why I do the day before because you never know what the weather and etc will be when you book something so far in advance.  Better safe and sorry!

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ALWAYS fly or drive in the day before.  Our flight to Barcelona last year cancelled due to bad weather in Chicago. We are at Knoxville airport.   Had business class seats for flight over the ocean.  Got a refund for them.  Got put on a different airline  with a different route and no business class seats.  Did not get seat next wife either.  Didn"t care. Just wanted to get to Barcelona.  Point is we got to Barcelona a day before cruise.  Also after arriving in Barcelona I had a crown come off.  Fortunately our Hotel hooked us up with a dentist so I got my crown re cemented.  Could not have done that the same day of arriving into port city.     Too many intangibles will cause you to miss a boat any time of year.  Choice air is way inflated.  And yes RC will get you to the ship.  They just don"t say when.    

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On 8/25/2017 at 6:00 PM, constable145 said:

Scheduled to leave YYZ at 930am. Scheduled to arrive at FLL at 1215pm.

 

At about noon we are cleared for approach. Then we go into a holding pattern for an hour due to t-storms in Fort Lauderdale. After an hour of left turns we are almost out of fuel. We have to land at MCO for jet fuel and to wait out the storm.

 

We landed safely but by the time our bags were off the carousel it was 4pm.  If we were flying in the day of departure we would have missed the ship!

We flew in a day before Liberty's extended cruise because there weren't any flights on embarkation day that would've given us enough time to get to Galveston to board the ship. We saw a couple at PHL who may have missed their cruise that afternoon. I'm not sure if they missed their flight and cruise or not. Honestly, it doesn't matter. But their stressful situation was enough to convince me always to fly in a day before.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have to agree with almost everyone here, I too fly or drive in at least a day earlier.  The fact that air travel is as unreliable as it is forces us to arrive early.  We have also found out that getting there also relieves the added stress and tension and we ease into the cruise much faster.  I can do my best planning every aspect of the journey from Virginia to the cruise terminal but unfortunately life does happen all too frequently and the smallest incident can bring some added stress.  We love getting there a day earlier so we can go out, see the area and have a great local meal! 

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This past June (2017) we flew out of KC to Seattle on Alaska Airlines for an Alaska cruise! It was a direct flight, when we got to the airport NO LUGGAGE. The plane was overweight and they pulled a bunch of luggage. Fortunately, it was the day before, as we did not get our luggage delivered to the hotel until 11pm that night, our flight arrived at 10am PST, so we were without luggage for in excess of 12 hours, can't imagine how upset I would have been if our ship left our arrival day.

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Worse yet I can:t imagine as to when or if your luggage would even  catch up with you.  Those are all tiny towns and you are at sea for a day or so before your first port of call.  You are truly proof as to why you need to arrive a day before departure.  I am glad your luggage arrived before you set sail.   

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I know most people fly in the day before but I don't unless it is absolutely necessary. I have an amazing TA that makes sure when she books my flights that I leave early enough and there are at least 1 or 2 backup flights, if something happens to the original. It is too expensive to get a hotel room for one night, worry about how to get to the hotel and to the port, pay extra for getting there when I can get the cruise line's shuttle service for a reasonable price. 

I know some day it will catch me and I won't make a cruise or my luggage won't make it, etc. 

Candie

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I live in Tulsa, and the issue is getting from Tulsa to DFW to get a decent flight and decent times. One cruise I had to fly to DFW the night before, spend the night and fly DFW to San Juan the next day. Again the issue wasn't DFW, it was the limited flights out of Tulsa with Connecting flights to other areas that messes with mu planning. So I usually fly out a day early in case I have any issues with my flights I can usually regroup and still get to the cruise. I usually cruise in summer time, so I have to deal with thunder storms and tornado's in Oklahoma and Texas. 

Candie, I would love to do that, and I'm glad you can, I assume it's because you are close to DFW.

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4 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

I live in Tulsa, and the issue is getting from Tulsa to DFW to get a decent flight and decent times. One cruise I had to fly to DFW the night before, spend the night and fly DFW to San Juan the next day. Again the issue wasn't DFW, it was the limited flights out of Tulsa with Connecting flights to other areas that messes with mu planning. So I usually fly out a day early in case I have any issues with my flights I can usually regroup and still get to the cruise. I usually cruise in summer time, so I have to deal with thunder storms and tornado's in Oklahoma and Texas. 

Candie, I would love to do that, and I'm glad you can, I assume it's because you are close to DFW.

Well, Tiny, you do have an option. Move to Dallas!:27_sunglasses:

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3 hours ago, firegal2539 said:

I know most people fly in the day before but I don't unless it is absolutely necessary. I have an amazing TA that makes sure when she books my flights that I leave early enough and there are at least 1 or 2 backup flights, if something happens to the original. It is too expensive to get a hotel room for one night, worry about how to get to the hotel and to the port, pay extra for getting there when I can get the cruise line's shuttle service for a reasonable price. 

I know some day it will catch me and I won't make a cruise or my luggage won't make it, etc. 

Candie

This post gives me anxiety just reading it. 

Weather cannot be defeated. There were other alternate flights for us.. But the weather in Fort Lauderdale was so horrific the airport was closed for hours... 

 

I spent 10 bucks to get to the hotel. 100 dollars for the room. 10 bucks to get from the hotel to the pier. 

Money well spent. If that 120 dollars was going to prohibit me from cruising I'd have to scrounge elsewhere. I'm not going to risk missing my ship just to save the cost of a hotel. 

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2 hours ago, firegal2539 said:

Tiny, DFW is five minutes away. Unfortunately I haven't found a hotel with a room for one person for $100 a night. Most of the time they are closer to $200. Tiny you can come stay with me and leave your car parked in my driveway. I will play Uber and take you to and from the airport.

Candie

:36_flushed::36_flushed::36_flushed:

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12 hours ago, firegal2539 said:

Tiny, DFW is five minutes away. Unfortunately I haven't found a hotel with a room for one person for $100 a night. Most of the time they are closer to $200. Tiny you can come stay with me and leave your car parked in my driveway. I will play Uber and take you to and from the airport.

Candie

Appreciate  the offer, might take you up on that some day. Yea, I usually stay at the Hilton on the airport, definitely not a $100 hotel.

Running into the same thing in 2018, have a cruise out of San Juan that leaves on a Saturday, because of work commitments I can't leave until Friday afternoon, I'm kind of stuck flying AA because I have a voucher to use, I've only completed a cursory look at flights but it appears I will have to go to Miami on Friday night and then get up Saturday morning and take the earliest flight I can get from Miami to San Juan otherwise I'm getting to San Juan late enough that if "Anything" happened I could miss the ship.

Candie, I also believe I have read that you are retired, I'm not quite there yet, getting close though.

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Yes I retired from the Irving Texas Fire Department after almost 35 years. I loved my job but I felt it was time to let younger people take over.

I have worked a part time job for two years but they frowned on me taking off once a month for 7 days to take a cruise, (I just don't understand that)!!

I now work from home picking the hours I want to work and when I can take time off.

I cruise about 6 to 8 times a year, although Harvey and Irma have managed to ruin two of this years cruises.

Candie

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"Fly By Night Away From Here...Ship Isn't Coming and I Just Can't Pretend."  hmmm, sounds like a cruise hurricane season song.

Million miler on Delta.  I've seen delays, misconnects and cancellations, lots of them.  With elite status I get added to the standby list at the very top, bumping everyone else down, yet I fly in the day before, always.  

Grew up not far from YYZ.  Watched the Concorde do a fly by at YYZ from the old parking garage.  Good times.

 

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