Thread: Fly in day of cruise or not?

We are thinking about flying in the morning of the cruise in San Juan, since it does not leave until late that evening. Any advice? Also, what are the benefits of having a travel agent book the cruise?

Originally Posted by knittern

We are thinking about flying in the morning of the cruise in San Juan, since it does not leave until late that evening. Any advice? Also, what are the benefits of having a travel agent book the cruise?

Especially at this time of year with snow / ice storms I would fly in the day before to be safe.

its all personal preference. alot of people will say travel a day before i usually travel the day of never had an issue. If u want to safe and not worry then i would go the day before.

Two issues here; one concerns flying into San Juan the day of the cruise and the other involves the benefits of using an agent.

First, if your budget is limited, normally flying into San Juan the day of the cruise is fine. ( While I normally suggest flying into port the day before, San Juan is one of those places you can get away with flying in the day of the cruise.) Most flights arrive in the morning. Easiest way is to get a taxi (about $16) to get to the ship. Usually, you can check in around noon. After getting settled in and having some lunch, you can then get off the ship, walk over to old town, and do some shopping.

If budget is not a big concern, they you can fly in the day before the cruise and do some sightseeing.

As for using an agent, you always want to book your cruise with a reputable agent, preferably a cruise specialist, and not directly with the cruise line or online site. The main reason for this is support. While they will always be able to get the same or better pricing, they represent you. So if you have any problems or questions, they are available to assist you. Whereas when you call the cruise line or an online site, more than 95% of the time, you're talking to someone in a call center, someone who is only there to take your money, someone who's in a hurry to get your reservation and get on to the next person, someone who has only worked there less than 6 months, and someone who has never even seen a ship, let alone been to any of the ports. And if you have problems, the cruise line staff represents the cruise line, not you. Plus, an agent will not be in a hurry to get rid of you, is always there when you need them, and will assist with all the little details.

Since the prices an agent provides you will either be the same or better, it makes sense to utilize their expertise, especially since there is no charge for their services.

Pete

Definitely go with an agent. The cost to you is zero and get get great advice and support - if you chose an agent who knows what he or she is doing.

Normally I would advise people to fly in the day before at the very least. Maybe considering there are early flights available and the ship doesn't leave til night, that might be okay. But here's something to think: at that time of year, what is the usual weather for the airport you're flying out of. What about any stops? Are you within quick driving distance to another airport that won't have the same conditions but with plenty of flights to your destination?

Really depends on where you are flying from. I flew from South Florida to San Juan day of cruise, no problem. But, if you can go a day early, there are some great sights to see!

As for using an agent, absolutely. Find one you are comfortable with, it doesn't cost you any extra and you have someone looking out for YOUR best interest, not the cruise line.

Originally Posted by knittern

We are thinking about flying in the morning of the cruise in San Juan, since it does not leave until late that evening. Any advice? Also, what are the benefits of having a travel agent book the cruise?

I will never understand why anyone thinks flying on the first day of the cruise is ever a good idea. I don't care how much money you save that way; you end up paying more by missing your ship and finding alternate transportation to your first port of call and do not get a refund for your first day. THE SHIP WILL NOT WAIT. When they say the ship will depart at 5:00, it will depart at 5:00 whether all passengers are onboard or not.

Cruise lines only care about the money, so they will not give their passengers price breaks when the cost goes down. An agent is, or should be, more interested in helping the passengers than the cruise lines. When the cost goes down, if you booked through an agent, you get the price break unless you have already made the final payment. Make sure you hire a cruise specialist.

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

I will never understand why anyone thinks flying on the first day of the cruise is ever a good idea. I don't care how much money you save that way; you end up paying more by missing your ship and finding alternate transportation to your first port of call and do not get a refund for your first day. THE SHIP WILL NOT WAIT. When they say the ship will depart at 5:00, it will depart at 5:00 whether all passengers are onboard or not.

Cruise lines only care about the money, so they will not give their passengers price breaks when the cost goes down. An agent is, or should be, more interested in helping the passengers than the cruise lines. When the cost goes down, if you booked through an agent, you get the price break unless you have already made the final payment. Make sure you hire a cruise specialist.

Well, that's not quite true. Normally, you are right that a ship will depart at its assigned time. However, it's all about communication. For example, on one of our last Princess cruises, we were delayed an hour because of a small group of people that were on a plane arriving late. (And no, the flight was not booked through Princess.) They contacted the cruise line, who in turn contacted the ship, and they delayed departure. Not saying this will happen all the time. Not saying it'll happen with every ship or cruise line. And I'm not saying it'll happen for a couple versus a group. But we have been delayed leaving port on at least 6 occasions that I can remember because people were late. As I said, it's all about communication. I've talked to 3 captains about this very issue of waiting for passengers, whether in the original embarkation port or in a port of call. All 3 captains basically told me the same thing; they have no desire to leave anyone if at all possible, but in the absence of information, they have no choice.

As for flying in the day of a cruise, it really does depend on where you're flying from, where you're flying into, what time the flight is scheduled to arrive, what time the ship is scheduled to leave, and of course the time of year because of the possibility of weather related problems.

Flying into San Juan the day of the cruise is more doable than alot of places because most of the flights are scheduled to arrive in the morning and the ships are not scheduled to leave until late in the evening (10:00pm - 11:00pm in most cases). This gives alot of time for any delays. But if you're flying into a port where the flight arrival time and the ship departure time is only a couple of hours difference, then arriving the day before is advisable.

When flying to Europe, I highly suggest flying in at the very least the day before the cruise if not two days. With a 6 hour time difference from the East Coast and an 8 hour flight, it really plays havoc with your internal body clock.

So alot goes into deciding whether to fly in the day of the cruise or not. Your cruise specialist can help you with your options.

As for price reductions, again, not quite true. If you book directly with the cruise line and the price of your cruise goes down, most of the time the cruise line will lower the price for you, as long as final payment has not yet been made. BUT, you have to request it. They will not contact you to let you know it went down. Working with an agent, if the price goes down after final payment has been made, while we can't get a reduction in price, we can often get upgrades, onboard credit, or something else for our clients. This will sometimes depend on the size of the agency - bigger can be better in some cases. But as already stated, an agent represents you, whereas if you book directly with the cruise line, you're on your own should problems arise.

Pete

I usually travel down by train or car but always arrive the day before I sail. The only time I would travel on the day is when I have booked it through the cruise line (via an agent). At least that way there is a chance they will wait for you or at least try to get you to the ship.