Why not to fly in the morning of a cruise

[cruiser21]

i don't think i have the stomach lining to handle flying in the day of.

I agree. I buy basic comprehensive trip insurance. The really good "cancel for any reason" insurance costs more than a night in a hotel. I also don't want to go through the hassle of filing a claim especially for something that could have been avoided by leaving a day earlier. Not to mention the disappointment of missing the cruise.

As far as bags go
I believe most airline credit cards offer a free bag or two. If you're frequent flyer in any airline it helps.

 

[kiford]

Just to clarify, are you calling Orlando to Toronto a short flight? I mean, it's hardly a long international flight, or a flight to Hawaii, but I would count that as more like a typical domestic flight.

Absolutely I consider that a short flight. I'm used to flying overseas; even a flight to Vancouver or San Francisco from Toronto is a minimum of 4-5 hours so a 2.5 hour flight to Orlando I consider short. During rush hour, it can take me 2.5 hours to drive to Toronto so a flight of that length is not considered to be long. Some of these flights I've had to put my bag under the seat because there's no room in the overhead bins for even a normal, small carry on. Anything less than 4 hours is, in my opinion, short.

 

[southerngirl528]

During rush hour, it can take me 2.5 hours to drive to Toronto

If that is your commute to work, all I can say is God bless you!!

 

[cruiser21]

Absolutely I consider that a short flight. I'm used to flying overseas; even a flight to Vancouver or San Francisco from Toronto is a minimum of 4-5 hours so a 2.5 hour flight to Orlando I consider short. During rush hour, it can take me 2.5 hours to drive to Toronto so a flight of that length is not considered to be long. Some of these flights I've had to put my bag under the seat because there's no room in the overhead bins for even a normal, small carry on. Anything less than 4 hours is, in my opinion, short.

We live in the west and always vacation on the East coast or Europe. I agree with you on the flight times I also consider anything under 4 hours a short flight. It takes me 60-75 minutes to go 20 miles during our rush hour so I feel for you.

 

[southerngirl528]

My long flights are our annual trips to Hawaii from FL. That's a long enough flight for me! LOL! About 11.5 hours of actual air time. Bless ya'll that have long commutes!

 

[BruinEd03]

So yes, anthing can happen, which is why we always pay for good insurance.

Good insurance won't make up for the days that you miss on the cruise. They can get you there to meet up with the ship, but if you miss the ship, you miss the ship. Your opportunities for flexibility (even using other airlines) drastically decrease the closer you arrive to the departure time.

Also, some insurance require a certain amount of delay before it kicks in, which could further restrict your flexibility.

 

[Shanti]

Good insurance won't make up for the days that you miss on the cruise. They can get you there to meet up with the ship, but if you miss the ship, you miss the ship. Your opportunities for flexibility (even using other airlines) drastically decrease the closer you arrive to the departure time.

Also, some insurance require a certain amount of delay before it kicks in, which could further restrict your flexibility.

The purpose of the insurance is to get the money back, for a different trip. The cancel for any reason coverage will allow that without too much of a loss. Not really an issue as missing the boat is very unlikely under the circumstances in which I would fly in morning of.

But it could happen, just like I could break my leg the morning of, or get a phone call the morning of telling me that a close family member just had a heart attack...And my awareness of those possibilities is why I carry really good insurance, not anemic insurance.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Agreed that I would never fly in the morning of a cruise. When we did Alaska we made sure we arrived in Vancouver the day prior (on the train from Seattle). To all who think it can't happen to them, I was stuck in the Delta Meltdown of 2016, flying from Ohio to Tampa (thankfully not for a cruise). There was power outage at the location of their computer servers in Georgia and it stopped all Delta departures all over the world for hours. We were scheduled to arrive at 11:00 AM in Tampa, ended up arriving after 7:00 PM. And our luggage arrived the next day.

 

[graf]

There were major problems at London Heathrow & Gatwick just before our cruise last year:-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/27/british-airways-system-problem-delays-heathrow

Luckily, we flew to Copenhagen a couple of days before the cruise, but other passengers weren't as lucky from what I heard on board.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We have a 5 hrs of flt time to Vancouver in September, plus 4 hr layover LAX. Count that as long. Not much traffic in Albuquerque, actually the entire state for that matter, with good fast freeways. Always just take roll-on, even for the 14 day EBPC. The only way when you're using airline employee travel system.

 

[britinva]

Was having this discussion with wife today, opted to fly in night before..... hotel was only $120 at airport

 

[cruiser21]

The purpose of the insurance is to get the money back, for a different trip. The cancel for any reason coverage will allow that without too much of a loss. Not really an issue as missing the boat is very unlikely under the circumstances in which I would fly in morning of.

But it could happen, just like I could break my leg the morning of, or get a phone call the morning of telling me that a close family member just had a heart attack...And my awareness of those possibilities is why I carry really good insurance, not anemic insurance.

You cant control breaking a leg or a death in the family, but you can control missing the cruise due to a delayed or cancelled flight therein lies the difference. If you're comfortable taking that risk then that's up to you. It's not advice I would give to someone else. Every cancel for any reason insurance policy's I've seen only insures a certain percentage like up to 75% if you do cancel for no reason. Most anemic insurance policy's will insure 100% for a valid reason. I have no idea what would be covered if you miss a cruise due to delayed flight on day of cruise.
I can't control every calamity, but I try to control the things within my control like giving myself plenty of time to get where I need to be wether it's work or a cruise.

 

[RedSox68]

Agreed that I would never fly in the morning of a cruise. When we did Alaska we made sure we arrived in Vancouver the day prior (on the train from Seattle). To all who think it can't happen to them, I was stuck in the Delta Meltdown of 2016, flying from Ohio to Tampa (thankfully not for a cruise). There was power outage at the location of their computer servers in Georgia and it stopped all Delta departures all over the world for hours. We were scheduled to arrive at 11:00 AM in Tampa, ended up arriving after 7:00 PM. And our luggage arrived the next day.

We flew into Seattle for our Alaska cruise from Vancouver. That train ride was amazing and with that and the flight, it was still cheaper than flying directly to Vancouver. Plus staying a couple of nights in Seattle ain't bad either

 

[southerngirl528]

We flew into Seattle for our Alaska cruise from Vancouver. That train ride was amazing and with that and the flight, it was still cheaper than flying directly to Vancouver. Plus staying a couple of nights in Seattle ain't bad either

You must have done the Cascades train from Seattle to Vancouver. Lovely, isn't it? We did fly into YVR but took the train out of Vancouver into Seattle. Have family there which made it perfect! Loved the train ride! Such a different experience for someone (me) that has only ridden theme park trains except for those in Europe.

 

[RedSox68]

You must have done the Cascades train from Seattle to Vancouver. Lovely, isn't it? We did fly into YVR but took the train out of Vancouver into Seattle. Have family there which made it perfect! Loved the train ride! Such a different experience for someone (me) that has only ridden theme park trains except for those in Europe.

YES. We did it round-trip pre-cruise and post. Just beautiful scenery. Those upper deck seats are worth every penny. Just wish you didn't have to get there at 6 a.m. to claim them LOL

 

[Ruben Anthony]

I've had way too many delayed/cancelled flight into my travel history. There is no way I would risk my D.C. By taking a morning of flight. I don't want to miss a minute of fun! (Not to mention how disappointed my kids would be)

 

[Sorcerer's Dad]

Odd events can ruin a trip. Thought all bases were covered. Supposed to leave on a Sunday. Saturday morning got a text saying flight on Sunday was cancelled. This was in Sept - no snow or unusual weather. Leaving Albuquerque to get to Virginia Beach. The problem - crazy man tried to blow up the air traffic control center near Chicago. Took me until Tues to get a flight out. I vote for getting to port city a couple days ahead of time - depends on availability of alternate transportation.

 

[RedSox68]

Odd events can ruin a trip. Thought all bases were covered. Supposed to leave on a Sunday. Saturday morning got a text saying flight on Sunday was cancelled. This was in Sept - no snow or unusual weather. Leaving Albuquerque to get to Virginia Beach. The problem - crazy man tried to blow up the air traffic control center near Chicago. Took me until Tues to get a flight out. I vote for getting to port city a couple days ahead of time - depends on availability of alternate transportation.

Sorry you had to start your vacation that way. It puts one in a weird funk that can take a couple of days to work out of and start enjoying your trip. It's well worth a couple of nights worth of hotel fees for peace of mind when it comes to catching a cruise. Even if you don't want to sightsee the day before, just come in that afternoon and hang around the hotel. At least you are already there and well rested for the excitement the next day.

I'm always the one who wants to get to the airport two hours earlier than recommended to be sure about traffic, etc. I'd rather sit around and wait then be late or stuck in traffic having a panic attack I will miss the flight.

 

[martinm]

On my first Disney cruise... we did not know about hurricane season. We had all DCL travel arrangements, flights and transfers.
We got held up in weather and were running late. When we finally flew into Orlando we were running soo late.
The bus was there waiting to take us to the terminal almost as soon as we landed. When we got to the ship it was loaded and as soon as out bus got on they started the process to leave port.

I'm pretty sure if we missed the ship my wife wouldn't be as on board with cruising as she is.

I do not care where I cruise out of.. We travel at least a day in advance of the cruise.

 

[JLoinDisney]

I think it also depends where and how far are you fly. We cruise a lot during the winter and being from boston that can be problematic. we try to fly in a day or two before and just travel around or of we are leaving out of port canaveral we will head to the parks the day before. it can mean a more expensive trip but i never want to risk it.