Travel

first time cruising. worried about flight time!

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  • Jul 20th, 2010 10:55 am
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Oct 19, 2007
1075 posts
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first time cruising. worried about flight time!

Just need some advice everyone...
ill be leaving Toronto at 615am flying with American airlines. Ill be changing planes at Miami at 12 and will arrive at Orlando at 130.

The itinerary for my cruise states that the ship will leave port canaveral at 430pm.

I'm worried about not having enough time to go from the airport to the port, especially when taking into consideration of possible flight delays and getting through luggage checks/claim.

Also, if the ship is scheduled to leave at 430. How much time do I have to board the ship before being denied entrance?

Am I just worrying too much, do I have enough time? Or should I call and try to book an earlier flight?
16 replies
Jr. Member
Apr 24, 2009
116 posts
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Given that it is about a 45 minute drive to the cruise terminal, that is more of a tight timeline than I like, but it is not unreasonable. I like to be early but I've seen people board right up until what seems to be the last minute.
How are you getting to the port...through the cruise line? Because if you are then you should be assured that you will make it.

Scott
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Oct 19, 2007
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Hi scott, thanks for the advice.

I've talked it over with my gf and we're planning to see how much it'll cost to change our flight(maybe make it a day earlier or something to assure that everything will go smoothly)

I've spoken to a few of my friends and they've advised me to just take a cab from MCO to port canaveral as it's much cheaper than the shuttle that Royal Caribbean International offers.

I'm just praying that the flight change will not be too expensive.
Jr. Member
Apr 24, 2009
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Ya...the Royal Carib transfer would be more expensive, I was only asking because I think you are guaranteed to make it if you are with them.

I like to fly in the day before and stay in a hotel...I have no experience with that port (first time will be in Nov.) but you have two choices for hotel...obviously Orlando or Cape Canaveral where you may find a hotel that will shuttle you to the port for free.

An insider tip that may or may not work for you...you may be able to rent a car in Orlando and drop it of in Cape Canaveral for less than the cost of a taxi (especially if you are a member of a loyalty program like National's Emerald Club). I did this in Miami where a cab wanted >$75 to take 5 of us to FLL, the rental agency gave me a one way rental for <$50 (and I sweet-talked them into a free van upgrade).

Of course you probably already know that the cruisecritic.com message boards are your friend for information like hotels that give free shuttle and information like that.

What ship are you on?

Have a nice cruise,

Scott
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Oct 19, 2007
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again, thanks a lot scott for the advice!

I'll be on the freedom of the seas traveling to the Eastern Caribbean.

Yes I have been browsing the boards at cruisecritic and their *first-time cruisers* board is extremely helpful.

as for renting a car, I will definitely look into that.

If possible, my gf and I are most likely going to try and change our flight to one that leaves on the 28th for orlando preferably arriving at night. If we're able to do so we'll most likely just hang out at the airport overnight(We've got a really tight budget!)
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Dec 30, 2006
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Toronto
After your trip, please post about your experiences. My family and I are saving for our first cruise and will be going on the Freedom of the Seas, either East or West Caribbean.

We are planning to do exactly what you are now doing. Flying in one day earlier to ensure our bags arrive with us. Takes the stress away.
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Jan 1, 2008
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Mississauga
You generally need to be on board somewhere between 1-2 hours before sailing. This is a legal requirement of the ship so they can report their manifest to the Powers That Be a reasonable time before departure.

I've done four cruises in the last two years but never one from the popular Florida ports so I don't know what the commute time is like. I did do San Juan on a same-day departure, and while it went smoothly (plane arrived on-time in the early afternoon, ship didn't leave until 11 p.m... and we got an extra hour because we were on daylight savings at the time which Puerto Rico does not observe), I was very anxious in the weeks leading up because of a poor on-time rating at our layover airport (PHL). Indeed, the plane scheduled to leave before us was severely delayed and ended up leaving hours after we did. The Air Canada direct flight that left the same morning as us was also delayed a few hours. And our plane home actually broke down and we had to fly home the next day!

In your case, I think there are probably enough flight options (even direct ones) to Florida that you should be able to switch flights if things go awry that morning. But you would have to get a direct flight -- or at least leave very soon after your original departure time, given a similar layover -- in order to make it, since you're already cutting it close on your current booking.
Sr. Member
Sep 11, 2008
602 posts
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Toronto
Too close for comfort, you need another hour to get to the port. orlando trafiic can be brutal.
I would fly from buffalo, savve you tone of $$, less hassle, maybe even airline check in on the ship.
rent a car cheapest and fastest way to get to the port. make sure to you got cash for tolls. fly home as late as possible so you can hang around cocoa beach for a few hours before heading home. If you fly in the night before, stay in orlando so you can do some shopping before the cruise.

aricebox wrote: Just need some advice everyone...
ill be leaving Toronto at 615am flying with American airlines. Ill be changing planes at Miami at 12 and will arrive at Orlando at 130.

The itinerary for my cruise states that the ship will leave port canaveral at 430pm.

I'm worried about not having enough time to go from the airport to the port, especially when taking into consideration of possible flight delays and getting through luggage checks/claim.

Also, if the ship is scheduled to leave at 430. How much time do I have to board the ship before being denied entrance?

Am I just worrying too much, do I have enough time? Or should I call and try to book an earlier flight?
Sr. Member
Mar 30, 2010
733 posts
8 upvotes
Toronto
IMO, you're not leaving yourself enough time.

Go the night before and stay somewhere, even on a budget.

Don't plan on hanging out at the airport, the security people can ask you to leave after arrival.

We sat in LAX last December, preferred to wait for our flight for a few hours and we were constantly asked for our boarding passes after a flight left.

They figure if you're still there, after the crowds thin, somethings' not right.

Can't blame them for being super cautious.
Newbie
Jun 16, 2010
27 posts
2 upvotes
Orlando hotels are ridiculously cheap on hotwire.com. When is your cruise? You can also sometimes score some really cheap car rentals on Hotwire.

Personally, I would be a nervous wreck doing the itinerary you outlined.
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Oct 19, 2007
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D-Roc wrote: After your trip, please post about your experiences. My family and I are saving for our first cruise and will be going on the Freedom of the Seas, either East or West Caribbean.

We are planning to do exactly what you are now doing. Flying in one day earlier to ensure our bags arrive with us. Takes the stress away.
I'll be sure to drop you a PM after my trip to let you know how it went!

And to everyone else: Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to call the agency I booked my flight with to see if I can change the flight to a day before the cruise.
I wouldn't want to be asked to leave the airport in the middle of the night so i'll look into how much a hotel room might cost us via hotwire.

Thanks for everyone's input!
Sr. Member
Jul 23, 2003
829 posts
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Lindsay
I agree with all this is too tight....try and get a flight the night before..If you can't change the flight please do not try and arrange a car rental to the cruise terminal...this could easily add 30-45 min to your wait time at each location as florida airport car rental counters can be very busy at times...I would go with the cab if you are on a very tight timeline...no waiting!!!
RFD importer of 2007 Nissan Maxima..savings of 14k
Sr. Member
Sep 11, 2008
602 posts
35 upvotes
Toronto
Actually car rental in Orlando can be as fast as walking to the parking lot, choose your car and drive out, if you do all the paperwork online ahead of time. return the car near the port is also easy and the shuttle bus to the port is fast.
johnsa wrote: I agree with all this is too tight....try and get a flight the night before..If you can't change the flight please do not try and arrange a car rental to the cruise terminal...this could easily add 30-45 min to your wait time at each location as florida airport car rental counters can be very busy at times...I would go with the cab if you are on a very tight timeline...no waiting!!!
Jr. Member
Mar 25, 2010
149 posts
99 upvotes
Ottawa
You really need to change your flight, that is way too tight. Orlando is a pretty efficient airport, but we have waited up to 30 minutes for our luggage. If you have any delays departing Toronto or transferring in Miami you are done.

The cost of changing your flight will be much less than if you miss part of your cruise and the cost of trying to catch up with the ship.

We went on the Independence which is a sister ship to the Freedom and it was great. Enjoy.
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Oct 19, 2007
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Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice!

Thought I'd just update everyone on my current situation.

I called in and changed my flight from the day of the cruise to the day right before the cruise(28th) It was about 150 per person for the change(which was the amount i expected..so..no surprises there).

And thanks to LuckyDucky and PrairieGal, I have searched around hotwire and have found that hotels near Orlando Airport are around 50-60 dollars per night for a 4 star, which is MUCH cheaper than I expected(thought it'd be around 100+ per night).

Anyways thanks again everyone! I'll be sure to update those that are interested to know how the cruise went!
Deal Addict
Aug 21, 2007
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gave up on rfd for g…
aricebox wrote: Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice!

Thought I'd just update everyone on my current situation.

I called in and changed my flight from the day of the cruise to the day right before the cruise(28th) It was about 150 per person for the change(which was the amount i expected..so..no surprises there).

And thanks to LuckyDucky and PrairieGal, I have searched around hotwire and have found that hotels near Orlando Airport are around 50-60 dollars per night for a 4 star, which is MUCH cheaper than I expected(thought it'd be around 100+ per night).

Anyways thanks again everyone! I'll be sure to update those that are interested to know how the cruise went!
it looks like you managed to sort this out....my parents cruise a lot and always buy the airfare from the cruise company....one time because of weather they missed the boat in FLL and the cruise company paid for all their tickets from Dallas to Cartagena columbia....the first stop on their cruise...

i think the one time they did not, they arrived 3 days early and got the Westin on PL in FLL for 80 bucks a night....
Sr. Member
Mar 24, 2009
627 posts
41 upvotes
Always check out what the cruise line offers in terms of airfare. Sometimes it's completely out of whack and not worth it (better to fly in and stay in a hotel), but other times it can be well worth it, especially when it guarantees that you will get on the ship at no extra costs if something does delay your flight.

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