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New Cruisers Tip #10: Air Travel
By Dave | December 23, 2008
It's best to fly in the day before you sail.
So you want to take a cruise, but there are no cruise terminals where you live. You will have to fly to get to the ship. I’m going to give you some tips (and correct some myths) to make this hectic part of your vacation a little easier.
First off, let me clear up a myth that seems to be accepted by many new cruisers. Booking your flights through the cruise line will not guarantee the ship will wait for you should your flight be delayed. There are very few cases you’ll actually want to book airfare through the cruise line. They’re expensive and they give you bad flights. For the money you’re paying, you’d expect a direct flight, but there is usually at least one layover. To make matters worse, a lot of the cruise flights arrive at the airport and leave you little time to get to the ship. Now of course there are exceptions. This is certainly not set in stone. But from what I’ve read online, it seems these are bad flights, poorly timed in coordination with the cruise, and are very expensive. Do yourself a favor, book your own airfare.
Now that you’ve decided to book your own airfare, what else should you know? It is in your best interest to book your flight for the day before the cruise and stay overnight in a local hotel/motel. This will virtually eliminate yor worries about weather or other delays and missing the ship. If you’re flight is late, no problem! Your cruise doesn’t leave until the next day. If you follow this simple step, you will probably never miss a ship again due to air travel. The extra cost you’ll be paying for the hotel stay (which can be minimal if you do your research) will make up for the potential costs of catching the ship at the next port-of-call or booking a flight back home.
If you cannot book your flight for the day before, there are still some things you can do to ensure you catch your ship. First of all, as I already mentioned, do your research. Some questions to consider:
- Is the airport five minutes or an hour away from the cruise terminal?
- Do the major airlines fly directly into your cruise departure city, or do you have to land elsewhere?
- Is it cheaper to fly into a nearby city and commute over to your cruise home port?
- Does the cruise line offer transfers to/from the ship?
- If so, how much are they? Would it be worth it to take a taxi or shuttle?
These are just some questions you should ask yourself when booking your own airfare. By no means is this a comprehensive list either. I’m just giving you an idea of what to consider when booking your own airfare.
If you’re booking your flights for the day of your cruise, it’s especially important to take all these questions and more into consideration. Imagine booking a flight to land in your cruise city an hour before final check-in, only to discover the airport is an hour and a half from the cruise terminal. It is very important you learn where you’re going.
Also keep in mind that, by US law, the cruise line must submit its passenger manifest an hour prior to departure. What does this mean for you? If you’re cruise is scheduled to set sail at 4:00 PM, check-in will end by 3:00 PM at the latest. Once again, if you must fly on the day of your cruise’s departure, arrive several hours early. We usually book the first flights of the day when we fly down the day of to make sure we arrive on time. It might be a pain to get to the airport at 5 in the morning if your flight doesn’t leave for another 12 hours, but it will be well worth it if you make it on the ship in time.
These are some things to bear in mindif you must fly to your departure city. If anyone has any other tips, let me know!
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Topics: Tips for New Cruisers | 3 Comments »
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 am
Thanks, and I look forward to reading your blog.
Rose.