Why you should always fly in at least one day before your cruise

[Disneyfalcon]

Okay we cruise tomorrow and we have had an eventful day! I started my trip report so I decided to cut and paste that here.

A little backstory here. We always arrive for cruises the day before. We are not taking any chances! If your flight is delayed a day on your way to WDW, you start your vacation a day late. If your flight is delayed a day for a cruise? You have missed your vacation. And no amount of trip insurance in the world cures that disappointment.

A month or two before we left I read a trip report from someone who was flying in to Orlando from NYC (I think) the day before their cruise. It was a busy weekend and flights were full. Their flight had mechanical difficulties and was cancelled. They literally could not get another flight that would get them to Port Canaveral before that ship sailed - the NEXT day!! They couldn't even drive in time.

Well that scared me to death. I always felt we were safe with one whole day to play with. Well no longer! I was seriously worried.

I tried several times to change our flights but there was nothing (with miles) that was earlier. Not even the day before. Shoot, I forgot it was Memorial Day Weekend!

One thing working in our favor - it was practically a direct flight. We had a short 30 minute flight to Denver, and than direct to Vancouver from there.

We checked in today and I heard those dreaded words. Flight delay. Apparently Denver had some high winds and they were canceling and delaying flights. Mercy. If the problem was in Colorado Springs, we would have jumped in the car and gone to Denver! But the problem was in Denver! Arrrrghhhhh!

We settled in.

Our flight was pushed back 3 times. My word.

We boarded 45 minutes late. The doors closed.

And reopened again 5 minutes later. The plane weighed too much (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 7 suitcases we checked) and they needed volunteers to get off. $400 a person for 4 volunteers!!! Oh how tempting and totally not. Four people volunteered, got off and they shut the doors again...

And opened them 5 minutes later. We actually taxied this time. And then we went back to the gate and opened the doors. Now we were deplaning. Weather was too bad in Denver. We were over an hour late now.

Seriously. Can. Not. Breathe. Now.

Oh and guess what? We are right next to the people who took the $400! So wrong.:lol:

We spent our time in the terminal looking for alternate flights.

Nothing. Nada. Not even the next day!

My worst nightmare was coming true. When dh started talking about what our insurance would cover I almost cried.

2 hours and 30 minutes after our flight was supposed to have left we were given the all clear to board again. This time hallelujah, we actually took off!

The question was whether our flight to Vancouver would still be there when we landed.

And the answer is - No! Wahhhhhh! I almost burst into tears yet again.

But I didn't!

Dh got on the phone and we hightailed it to the first customer service counter we saw. I got in line. When we got to the front, we found out we had been rebooked to Seattle on a late night flight. Then we would fly to Vancouver in the morning.

That was such a relief!! I knew if we could at least make it to Seattle we could drive from there if we had to! Yay!

Then I realized we would be spending the night in the airport. And we wouldn't have our bags! Or clothes! Or toothbrushes!

This was going to be one scary boarding picture. :lookaroun. But thank goodness - there would be a boarding picture!! :sohappy:

So I am now sitting on the plane to Seattle waiting to take off. I was afraid for a while I was going to have the shortest saddest trip report ever.:lol:

The moral of the story is - fly in the day before! At least! If this had happened tomorrow, we would not have made it!

It was a one hour airport closure because of wind! That's it! And look at the damage it could have caused!

Go the day before! Do it!

 

[Master Yoda]

Very sound advice as always Tammy. Like nearly every other business out there these days, airlines are running just shy of skeleton crews. They are having to do more with less and operate with zero back up. If a plane goes down due to weather or mechanical issues there simply is not one to there replace it. When you are dealing with unalterable departure times, like in the case of a cruise, a couple of hundred bucks for a hotel for a night or two in a hotel can be better than travel insurance and sure will take a ton of stress out of traveling.

 

[The Mom]

Glad you made it - or will soon. Sometimes a little extra planing makes all of the difference in the world, but it must have been scary when even allowing for a worst case scenario might not have been enough.

BTW, you can purchase "wisp' disposable toothbrushes, which are very light and take up little room in your purse. Add a small deodorant, and maybe underwear, along with a very thin tee, and you're ready for anything. :lol:

Have fun on the cruise!

 

[Fla_Purls]

My husband and I were very worried about the same thing happening, which is why we flew in to Vancouver 2 days early, in case the unforseeable happened. Thankfully our flights went off without a hitch and we were able to spend 2 days in a beautiful city before setting sail.

Glad to hear that you're still getting there though, the Alaskan cruise is an incredible experience; you'll love every minute of it!!

 

[RobnRachal]

Didn't bother flying day before our last cruise. BUT our upcoming cruise we are scheduled to arrive a day early. Not taking ANY chances. Things worked out last time, but we've waited 2 years for this trip and can't have anything messing it up.
Besides, we fly out of Buffalo, in December, 'nuff said :lol:
Hubby and kids are pretty excited about starting the vaca a day early and we're staying at the airport so, hopefully, it'll all work out.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Very sound advice as always Tammy. Like nearly every other business out there these days, airlines are running just shy of skeleton crews. They are having to do more with less and operate with zero back up. If a plane goes down due to weather or mechanical issues there simply is not one to there replace it. When you are dealing with unalterable departure times, like in the case of a cruise, a couple of hundred bucks for a hotel for a night or two in a hotel can be better than travel insurance and sure will take a ton of stress out of traveling.

Exactly. And no one actually wants to have to use that insurance!

Glad you made it - or will soon. Sometimes a little extra planing makes all of the difference in the world, but it must have been scary when even allowing for a worst case scenario might not have been enough.

BTW, you can purchase "wisp' disposable toothbrushes, which are very light and take up little room in your purse. Add a small deodorant, and maybe underwear, along with a very thin tee, and you're ready for anything. :lol:

Have fun on the cruise!

Good advice, Mom! You know, i used to always have toiletries in my carry on but because of the liquid restrictions, i never do anymore.

The USO didnt have any beds but they did have toothbrushes! So at least our mouths are clean!

I will say this is the first time I have ever boarded a Disney cruise ship with bed head.:lookaroun

My husband and I were very worried about the same thing happening, which is why we flew in to Vancouver 2 days early, in case the unforseeable happened. Thankfully our flights went off without a hitch and we were able to spend 2 days in a beautiful city before setting sail.

Glad to hear that you're still getting there though, the Alaskan cruise is an incredible experience; you'll love every minute of it!!

Thank you, Fla Purls! I hate that we won't get to spend any time in Vancouver! But I am so so relieved it looks like we will make it!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Didn't bother flying day before our last cruise. BUT our upcoming cruise we are scheduled to arrive a day early. Not taking ANY chances. Things worked out last time, but we've waited 2 years for this trip and can't have anything messing it up.
Besides, we fly out of Buffalo, in December, 'nuff said :lol:
Hubby and kids are pretty excited about starting the vaca a day early and we're staying at the airport so, hopefully, it'll all work out.

Hopefully so!

 

[ChuckElias]

I will say this is the first time I have ever boarded a Disney cruise ship with bed head.:lookaroun

But as you said, at least there will be a boarding picture!! That's a scary story. We're flying out the day before. I would actually have liked to fly out sooner and spend a couple days in Vancouver, but b/c of snow days, we weren't exactly sure when my daughter would be done with her finals.

My sister's family almost missed our Mexican DCL cruise in '08 b/c they set their alarm clock incorrectly. They were supposed to fly out at 5 am or something like that and didn't wake up until 5:15. They had to scramble to find another flight (direct) and ended up having to pay through the nose for 1st class seats. But they made it. Unfortunately, after the cruise, the airline informed them that b/c they didn't use their outbound tickets, their return tickets had been sold and they didn't have a flight home. So they had to again scramble for a flight. It was a difficult week for them.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

But as you said, at least there will be a boarding picture!! That's a scary story. We're flying out the day before. I would actually have liked to fly out sooner and spend a couple days in Vancouver, but b/c of snow days, we weren't exactly sure when my daughter would be done with her finals.

My sister's family almost missed our Mexican DCL cruise in '08 b/c they set their alarm clock incorrectly. They were supposed to fly out at 5 am or something like that and didn't wake up until 5:15. They had to scramble to find another flight (direct) and ended up having to pay through the nose for 1st class seats. But they made it. Unfortunately, after the cruise, the airline informed them that b/c they didn't use their outbound tickets, their return tickets had been sold and they didn't have a flight home. So they had to again scramble for a flight. It was a difficult week for them.

Yes! There will be a boarding picture!:sohappy:

I would have liked to have gone earlier too but we weren't sure of dh's work schedule. Once we realized he could, there was nothing left!

That is a horrible story about your sister! We set three, count them - three alarms this morning.:lol:

Waiting to board in Seattle!!

 

[disneygirl1]

Oh Tammy! I am so sorry for your travel woes! But am SO glad that everything worked out in the end! I heard that Denver is bad with delays b/c of wind! Have a wonderful trip! Can't wait to hear all about it when you return! :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Wow, Tammy! I'm so glad you made it to Vancouver. Bless your heart. I would've been a blubbering mess.

Sorta similar, our December '07 was our first not-value/cheap-as-we-can-get-by-with trip to WDW. We pulled out all the stops doing the dining plan, staying in the CR with the MK view, hubby found good prices for 1st class airfare for our Houston/Orlando legs of our flights, and we booked limo transfers to/from the airport. We even booked commuter flights out of the tiny airport that's literally right outside our neighborhood so we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Houston and parking is free. Departure morning came and we were at our little airport at 5:30. We were so excited. I planned everything so it'd be our absolute dream. Time for our scheduled departure came and went. We were delayed because Bush Intercontinental in Houston was fogged in. I didn't think it was a big deal. Hubby kept watching the time. He said a few times we should get in the truck and start driving but by then it was morning rush hour. If the fog lifted over there that little plane would have us over to Houston in 20 minutes time. We waited and waited and waited. We took off 3 hours late. Hubby knew that unless our connection to Orlando was seriously delayed we had missed it. When we landed we found out it was gone. I was panicing. The gate agents put us on standby for the next flight and sent us down to Customer Service to get refunded the difference for the 1st class/refundable tickets and the coach seats we were inevitably going to receive. Customer Service was a mad house. We stood in line for 30 minutes or so before someone waaaaay up front at the CS desk started yelling our names. Hubby poked his head up. "Mr. Sutton! They're holding the plane for you at Gate __!" It was like the scene in Home Alone where the whole family is running thru the airport. We arrive at the gate where a gate agent is waiting with a scowl. "Where did you go?!" "Customer Service like you told us!" Because we were standby we weren't even seated together. I sat near some random lady while Tracey & the boys were 3 rows back. As soon as I sat down I made a quick call to the limo company to tell them about our delay at which time I was informed that there'd be another $50 charge because the driver had to wait for us and the limo would be tied up the additional time. What a magical way to start a trip. I sat there by myself and cried at least half the flight. I know it's pathetic. We had planned and dreamed of having that 'ultimate' experience from the time we left our house and it just didn't happen that way. Once we got to Orlando things smoothed out. Well, except for the 20 minutes Tracey spent on the phone with the airline to get our refund arguing with the agent on the phone who kept insisting that we had to take care of that before we left Houston in order to get our $900 back. We were victorious in the end.

I'm not that worried about our Dream cruise this September since we're driving and going to at WDW for 4 days before our cruise. I *am* giving a lot of thought to next September flying out of Vancouver. I was thinking we wanted to fly in 2 days early anyway to go to Grouse Mountain. I think this could also be good to allow that delay time just in case.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Wow, Tammy! I'm so glad you made it to Vancouver. Bless your heart. I would've been a blubbering mess.

Sorta similar, our December '07 was our first not-value/cheap-as-we-can-get-by-with trip to WDW. We pulled out all the stops doing the dining plan, staying in the CR with the MK view, hubby found good prices for 1st class airfare for our Houston/Orlando legs of our flights, and we booked limo transfers to/from the airport. We even booked commuter flights out of the tiny airport that's literally right outside our neighborhood so we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Houston and parking is free. Departure morning came and we were at our little airport at 5:30. We were so excited. I planned everything so it'd be our absolute dream. Time for our scheduled departure came and went. We were delayed because Bush Intercontinental in Houston was fogged in. I didn't think it was a big deal. Hubby kept watching the time. He said a few times we should get in the truck and start driving but by then it was morning rush hour. If the fog lifted over there that little plane would have us over to Houston in 20 minutes time. We waited and waited and waited. We took off 3 hours late. Hubby knew that unless our connection to Orlando was seriously delayed we had missed it. When we landed we found out it was gone. I was panicing. The gate agents put us on standby for the next flight and sent us down to Customer Service to get refunded the difference for the 1st class/refundable tickets and the coach seats we were inevitably going to receive. Customer Service was a mad house. We stood in line for 30 minutes or so before someone waaaaay up front at the CS desk started yelling our names. Hubby poked his head up. "Mr. Sutton! They're holding the plane for you at Gate __!" It was like the scene in Home Alone where the whole family is running thru the airport. We arrive at the gate where a gate agent is waiting with a scowl. "Where did you go?!" "Customer Service like you told us!" Because we were standby we weren't even seated together. I sat near some random lady while Tracey & the boys were 3 rows back. As soon as I sat down I made a quick call to the limo company to tell them about our delay at which time I was informed that there'd be another $50 charge because the driver had to wait for us and the limo would be tied up the additional time. What a magical way to start a trip. I sat there by myself and cried at least half the flight. I know it's pathetic. We had planned and dreamed of having that 'ultimate' experience from the time we left our house and it just didn't happen that way. Once we got to Orlando things smoothed out. Well, except for the 20 minutes Tracey spent on the phone with the airline to get our refund arguing with the agent on the phone who kept insisting that we had to take care of that before we left Houston in order to get our $900 back. We were victorious in the end.

I'm not that worried about our Dream cruise this September since we're driving and going to at WDW for 4 days before our cruise. I *am* giving a lot of thought to next September flying out of Vancouver. I was thinking we wanted to fly in 2 days early anyway to go to Grouse Mountain. I think this could also be good to allow that delay time just in case.

That is a bad airport story, Kelly! It's amazing the power they have over us!

 

[ChuckElias]

That is a bad airport story, Kelly! It's amazing the power they have over us!

Hey! You're posting!! But. . . that's it? Where are you?? How is it?? Weather?? Is it gorgeous?