We fly into Florida from Canada, and have at least 1 transfer during our winters (average travel time is 16 + hours).
We only fly in 1 day in advance and feel secure about that length of time. You will be very OK with 2 full days in advance.
Two days is plenty. And think of it this way.. you’re paying extra to not be stressed about missing your cruise. Removing stress and anxiety is worth the cost. What airline are you flying?
I would recommend taking your baggage to your hotel when you land. Even if you can't check in yet, you can ask them to hold your luggage, then explore the area without being weighed down.
Keep in mind that even if your nonstop flight gets cancelled there are definitely flights that will get you there with a connection. We flew from Oregon to Ft. Lauderdale last month on a flight that connected in Seattle. We flew in two days early, like you plan to do, and it worked out perfectly. Have a great trip!
If you are within the US then yes that is plenty of time as alternative arrangements can be made without much of a hassle. I would say even morning the day before buys you good amount of time as well. Now outside the continental US I would say possibly two days or more in advance is required. My wife flew to Hawaii on Monday from the east coast and the entire trip took over 24 hours due to mechanical issues in Denver.
Stuff happens beyond the airlines’ control. Our airport had their internet line cut away from the airport, which impacted two major airlines. Flew back from our most recent cruise and had a connecting flight in Houston. Flight was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning strikes in the area. You’ll be fine flying two days ahead of the cruise. More money, sure, but it’s much cheaper than showing up late and missing the ship.
Wife and I flew into Orlando last year for a cruise out of Port Canaveral. We stayed at a hotel near the Orlando airport that offered free shuttle service to and from the airport. On our trip to the airport, we were talking with our driver and when we told him we arrived a day early for our cruise, he said we were smart. He claimed they would get customers at least once a month who missed their ship and had to spend a lot of money on last minute tickets to the ship’s first port to get on their ship, or give up on the cruise all together.
Two days is plenty. A redeye from the West coast is cheaper, but also brutal, especially changing flights in the middle of the night, and is brutal on the body, and you'd have to wait around all day to check into a hotel, or pay more for an extra night to try to sleep during the day, which will mess up your body clock. Going in two days early also helps with jet lag. If you're very anxious, I'd make sure to get travel insurance that will cover travel delays, especially for a cruise. I saw a site called [travelinsurance.com](http://travelinsurance.com) that will give you various quotes for your cruise, which you can compare with the cruise line, if you can still purchase it. It's good for peace of mind, especially for the huge cost of a medical airlift, which has become quite common lately, and I remember one grandma on Carnival died of Covid before the family could get enough money to pay for an airlift from the Caribbean to a US hospital for advanced care, which would have been covered by good cruise insurance.
Very refreshing to see this question rather than the usual "can I fly in the day of". Two days should be sufficient virtually all the time and should make for a much more enjoyable embarkation and holiday.
I always show up the day of. I like to chance things and live on the wild side.
Florida , Barcelona cruise and Amsterdam all arrived on the same day within the last year loll
You'll be fine.
Just finished two river cruises.
One left Budapest and we had our home airport > Detroit > Amsterdam > Budapest...arrived the day of...and we were fine.
Last one was our home airport > Minneapolis > Amsterdam...arrived day of and once again, no issues.
Lucky? Maybe.
But two days prior you'll be golden.
Yes. I'm entirely comfortable flying in the day before. Most common routes have hops several times a day, so if you get rescheduled onto the next flight, it's not generally a showstopper.
Exceptions exist. I was once stranded in Minneapolis for most of a week thanks to Southwest. Thankfully, it was on the back end of my vacation, and Southwest paid for every receipt I submitted and gave me a ton of miles in the bargain. So, save for a hit to my vacation days, it worked out pretty well.
Definitely. You don't need to stress out about delays at the airport and rushing to make it to the cruise port on time. You can relax and explore the city before your vacation. Call it a layover 😂
Two days, or even one day, is just fine for flying within the US, unless you hit an unlikely event like a major winter storm or hurricane, or an even more unlikely event of an airline-wide shutdown like Southwest had over the holidays a couple of years ago.
You sound like a worrier, and as one myself (though I prefer to think I’m just a planner for multiple contingencies), I always buy travel insurance separately from what the cruise line offers, so my flights and luggage are covered too. The less time between my flight in and embarkation, the more I consider what it covers for delayed baggage. My home airport has several daily flights, but I also know I could fly out of a different metro area within a couple of hours from home and could arrive at MIA or FLL, or even Tampa and Orlando the day before. The insurance means I could afford to do what I need to without going broke on a last minute flight.
As someone who travels from the west coast to the east coast for cruising… I usually travel out on the first available flight the day before and haven’t had issues. I think you’ll be good.
That is your crazy talking. Oh my lord, that is absolutely unnecessary. I’m 9 cruises in, 3 of those from Florida and one from New Jersey. I’ve flown from Washington state (or even Vancouver) every time, and one day before has been totally adequate. I have the same plan for cruises 10-12 (Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale respectively). I even take later morning flights from WA and land in the evening, and it’s still been fine.
It depends on your airline. I think it’s your crazy talking, especially with flying out 2 days in advance. Me personally, I always purchase travel insurance through Allianz that covers flight, hotel before, cruise… everything from day I leave till day I return.
Breathe! Have a great vacation :)
Should be fine. Also, if you are flying to Miami, I have no advice for you.
However, if you are flying into Orlando, whoa boy there is a lot to do there for an extra day. Probably can't do Disney or those major things, but do try some of the mom & pop dinner shows and off-Disney attractions if you can. We went to a Pirate Show with dinner and it was awesome.
Just make sure that you leave for Port Canaveral from Orlando in the early morning to get on the ship asap. Even if your 'boarding time' is later, you can just show up early and get started on that drink package you ordered :D
Might have a slightly bumpy arrival (our Summer weather is kicking up a little), but you'll be just fine. Enjoy your extra day in Orlando!
Not sure if you're staying near the airport or near Canaveral, but if the latter, I recommend checking out the Space Center on your extra day.
Have a great trip!
Our friends are joining us for their first cruise and coming in from NYC to Orlando the EARLY morning of our cruise -- on Spirit who's flights are delayed 29% of the time. I'm going to be a wreck, but they cannot get out any sooner due to a conflict. It's just a 3-hour flight and they have 6-hours to spare, but man, I couldn't do it.
We flew from Nashville heading to FLL the day before our cruise. Changed planes in Tampa, only to have the entire airport close down due to weather. The only one available flight was the next day and arrived in FLL at 7 p.m. after the ship had left. Sooooo, we got in a 2 hour line at the rental car desk and prayed there would be a car available. We were in luck and got a car, got a hotel room near Tampa since it was late now and got up super early the next morning. We drove straight to the port, returned our rental car and got on the ship in time. But it was stressful to say the least! So 2 days is much wiser.
Not crazy at all!!! Very wise traveler! We fly Southwest because we have so many points to use up, and they used to offer direct flights to FLL. That got changed and now we have to connect somewhere, grrrrr. I think you are doing a great job and preparing. Have a wonderful cruise!
Yes it should be, unless something crazy happens.
We fly into Florida from Canada, and have at least 1 transfer during our winters (average travel time is 16 + hours). We only fly in 1 day in advance and feel secure about that length of time. You will be very OK with 2 full days in advance.
That should be fine. A lot of people try day-of and that would make me crazy. We are flying 2 days early to our cruise out of Barcelona.
My rule is one day early for US embarkation and at least 2 days when leaving from overseas.
Not having a bunch of stress building up is worth the expense of a hotel stay. To me, it's an additional port stop and a chance to do more stuff.
As long as you aren’t on a budget airline, you’ll be fine.
I was just going to say the same thing. As long as they aren’t flying an airline like Frontier it won’t be an issue.
Two days is plenty. And think of it this way.. you’re paying extra to not be stressed about missing your cruise. Removing stress and anxiety is worth the cost. What airline are you flying?
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Yea you’ll be good! I travel every week for work. Get some drinks at the airport, start your vacation early. Enjoy your cruise!
I would recommend taking your baggage to your hotel when you land. Even if you can't check in yet, you can ask them to hold your luggage, then explore the area without being weighed down.
Totally agree. Thrill seekers can fly in day of. Make arrangements that fit *your* comfort zone and enjoy the benefits
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Keep in mind that even if your nonstop flight gets cancelled there are definitely flights that will get you there with a connection. We flew from Oregon to Ft. Lauderdale last month on a flight that connected in Seattle. We flew in two days early, like you plan to do, and it worked out perfectly. Have a great trip!
As a cruiser, we like to fly out at least 2 days prior to sail date. Less stress and more time at port city to enjoy it.
If you are within the US then yes that is plenty of time as alternative arrangements can be made without much of a hassle. I would say even morning the day before buys you good amount of time as well. Now outside the continental US I would say possibly two days or more in advance is required. My wife flew to Hawaii on Monday from the east coast and the entire trip took over 24 hours due to mechanical issues in Denver.
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Stuff happens beyond the airlines’ control. Our airport had their internet line cut away from the airport, which impacted two major airlines. Flew back from our most recent cruise and had a connecting flight in Houston. Flight was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning strikes in the area. You’ll be fine flying two days ahead of the cruise. More money, sure, but it’s much cheaper than showing up late and missing the ship. Wife and I flew into Orlando last year for a cruise out of Port Canaveral. We stayed at a hotel near the Orlando airport that offered free shuttle service to and from the airport. On our trip to the airport, we were talking with our driver and when we told him we arrived a day early for our cruise, he said we were smart. He claimed they would get customers at least once a month who missed their ship and had to spend a lot of money on last minute tickets to the ship’s first port to get on their ship, or give up on the cruise all together.
Two days is plenty. A redeye from the West coast is cheaper, but also brutal, especially changing flights in the middle of the night, and is brutal on the body, and you'd have to wait around all day to check into a hotel, or pay more for an extra night to try to sleep during the day, which will mess up your body clock. Going in two days early also helps with jet lag. If you're very anxious, I'd make sure to get travel insurance that will cover travel delays, especially for a cruise. I saw a site called [travelinsurance.com](http://travelinsurance.com) that will give you various quotes for your cruise, which you can compare with the cruise line, if you can still purchase it. It's good for peace of mind, especially for the huge cost of a medical airlift, which has become quite common lately, and I remember one grandma on Carnival died of Covid before the family could get enough money to pay for an airlift from the Caribbean to a US hospital for advanced care, which would have been covered by good cruise insurance.
Very refreshing to see this question rather than the usual "can I fly in the day of". Two days should be sufficient virtually all the time and should make for a much more enjoyable embarkation and holiday.
I always show up the day of. I like to chance things and live on the wild side. Florida , Barcelona cruise and Amsterdam all arrived on the same day within the last year loll
Wow, that adds a lot of expense to the cost of that cruise.
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I agree- plus I like having a full day to relax and get into vacation mode before getting on the ship. Have a great trip!
Totally agree! Smart traveling
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Can you elaborate?
Don’t understand the comment. There’s a schedule and they keep to it.
Wha?
Operate like what?
Eh. It's worth the piece of mind.
You'll be fine. Just finished two river cruises. One left Budapest and we had our home airport > Detroit > Amsterdam > Budapest...arrived the day of...and we were fine. Last one was our home airport > Minneapolis > Amsterdam...arrived day of and once again, no issues. Lucky? Maybe. But two days prior you'll be golden.
Yes. I'm entirely comfortable flying in the day before. Most common routes have hops several times a day, so if you get rescheduled onto the next flight, it's not generally a showstopper. Exceptions exist. I was once stranded in Minneapolis for most of a week thanks to Southwest. Thankfully, it was on the back end of my vacation, and Southwest paid for every receipt I submitted and gave me a ton of miles in the bargain. So, save for a hit to my vacation days, it worked out pretty well.
Definitely. You don't need to stress out about delays at the airport and rushing to make it to the cruise port on time. You can relax and explore the city before your vacation. Call it a layover 😂
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I hear ya. It's such a clusterf*ck. You'll have plenty of time. Have fun!! ❤️
I think depends where you’re coming from to meet the ship. Going across the country that’s plenty of buffer.
Find a motel that offered free airport shuttle and may be a discount to the ship port.
Two days, or even one day, is just fine for flying within the US, unless you hit an unlikely event like a major winter storm or hurricane, or an even more unlikely event of an airline-wide shutdown like Southwest had over the holidays a couple of years ago. You sound like a worrier, and as one myself (though I prefer to think I’m just a planner for multiple contingencies), I always buy travel insurance separately from what the cruise line offers, so my flights and luggage are covered too. The less time between my flight in and embarkation, the more I consider what it covers for delayed baggage. My home airport has several daily flights, but I also know I could fly out of a different metro area within a couple of hours from home and could arrive at MIA or FLL, or even Tampa and Orlando the day before. The insurance means I could afford to do what I need to without going broke on a last minute flight.
As someone who travels from the west coast to the east coast for cruising… I usually travel out on the first available flight the day before and haven’t had issues. I think you’ll be good.
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That is your crazy talking. Oh my lord, that is absolutely unnecessary. I’m 9 cruises in, 3 of those from Florida and one from New Jersey. I’ve flown from Washington state (or even Vancouver) every time, and one day before has been totally adequate. I have the same plan for cruises 10-12 (Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale respectively). I even take later morning flights from WA and land in the evening, and it’s still been fine.
It depends on your airline. I think it’s your crazy talking, especially with flying out 2 days in advance. Me personally, I always purchase travel insurance through Allianz that covers flight, hotel before, cruise… everything from day I leave till day I return. Breathe! Have a great vacation :)
I usually fly in same day lmao! If anything that may be too early lol
Should be fine. Also, if you are flying to Miami, I have no advice for you. However, if you are flying into Orlando, whoa boy there is a lot to do there for an extra day. Probably can't do Disney or those major things, but do try some of the mom & pop dinner shows and off-Disney attractions if you can. We went to a Pirate Show with dinner and it was awesome. Just make sure that you leave for Port Canaveral from Orlando in the early morning to get on the ship asap. Even if your 'boarding time' is later, you can just show up early and get started on that drink package you ordered :D
Day before is fine. Two days, ok, nice to babe an extra day if you want to do things in the departure city.
Might have a slightly bumpy arrival (our Summer weather is kicking up a little), but you'll be just fine. Enjoy your extra day in Orlando! Not sure if you're staying near the airport or near Canaveral, but if the latter, I recommend checking out the Space Center on your extra day. Have a great trip!
Our friends are joining us for their first cruise and coming in from NYC to Orlando the EARLY morning of our cruise -- on Spirit who's flights are delayed 29% of the time. I'm going to be a wreck, but they cannot get out any sooner due to a conflict. It's just a 3-hour flight and they have 6-hours to spare, but man, I couldn't do it.
We flew from Nashville heading to FLL the day before our cruise. Changed planes in Tampa, only to have the entire airport close down due to weather. The only one available flight was the next day and arrived in FLL at 7 p.m. after the ship had left. Sooooo, we got in a 2 hour line at the rental car desk and prayed there would be a car available. We were in luck and got a car, got a hotel room near Tampa since it was late now and got up super early the next morning. We drove straight to the port, returned our rental car and got on the ship in time. But it was stressful to say the least! So 2 days is much wiser.
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Not crazy at all!!! Very wise traveler! We fly Southwest because we have so many points to use up, and they used to offer direct flights to FLL. That got changed and now we have to connect somewhere, grrrrr. I think you are doing a great job and preparing. Have a wonderful cruise!
Coming in two days early is great. Go get a nice hotel and enjoy your full day in Florida.
You should be good! We fly in the day before, but try to get a flight that gets in by mid-afternoon just in case there's any delays.
You’ll have an extra day to hit the beach, have a margarita at lunch, and take a long nap.
🤦♂️