I booked air with Delta for a 12 day cruise with RCCL this Nov. We fly from JFK to Barcelona and get there a day before the cruise leaves. The cruise ends in Barcelona on Nov 25 and is supposed to dock there at 5AM on the 25th. My flight from BCN to JFK is scheduled to leave at 10AM. i had felt pretty comfortable with that but a friend tells me that's cutting it very close, and the more I think about it the more worried I am. Before I had decided to book my own air, I had been speaking to RCCL's cruise air rep, and he said that they would not book a return flight that was BEFORE 10AM. So I figured 10AM would be ok. I'd be interested in some informed opinions on this, as well as any tips on insuring that we get off the ship as early as possible. Thanks
Hi Jersey Cruisers, welcome to Cruise-Chat. I wouldn't book anything before noon. There are just too many things that can hold up a ship's clearance. If you can't change the flight, make sure you tell them at the Purser's desk. Also, your best bet will be the self-debarkation. To do that you must be able to take all your luggage off the ship by yourself. You'll be the first ones allowed to disembark. That's just cutting it way too close for my comfort zone. Best wishes and once again, welcome aboard!
Thank you so much for the welcome and for the response. Shortly after I posted the question here,I went to a FAQ section of RCCL's website. They had a page where you plug in your ship, the dates, points of embarkation and disembarkation, and it tells you the latest departure time to book going, and the earliest departure time to book for returning. Ironically, they said the earliest for returning should be 9:55AM. I say its ironic because my return flight is scheduled to depart at 10AM. Even though I agree with you now that I'm cutting it very close, I do feel better that the cruise line feels that 10AM is within reason. Thanks again
Originally posted by penny3333:
Hi Jersey Cruisers, welcome to Cruise-Chat. I wouldn't book anything before noon. There are just too many things that can hold up a ship's clearance. If you can't change the flight, make sure you tell them at the Purser's desk. Also, your best bet will be the self-debarkation. To do that you must be able to take all your luggage off the ship by yourself. You'll be the first ones allowed to disembark. That's just cutting it way too close for my comfort zone. Best wishes and once again, welcome aboard!
Just a follow-up to this: I emailed RCCL about my concern, and I received the following response: << We received your email, and a 10:00am flight departure does meet our parameters............So your flight at 10:00am is perfect........>>
Also I called RCCL and booked ground transfer from ship to airport, and in order to to book it, your flight could be leaving NO EARLIER THAN 10:00AM. So i'm feeling much more secure about the whole thing. I may just get thru this whole thing without an ulcer!
...and i could think of worse things to happen to me than getting stuck in Spain for an extra day or so
I wonder if having travel insurance would cover your costs if you missed your flight? You should have purchased some anyway (either through the cruise line or a third party), but you should read up on this particular scenario.
Originally posted by MiketheKid:
...and i could think of worse things to happen to me than getting stuck in Spain for an extra day or so
I wonder if having travel insurance would cover your costs if you missed your flight? You should have purchased some anyway (either through the cruise line or a third party), but you should read up on this particular scenario.
If it weren't for the several hundred dollars extra it would cost me, I agree that an extra day or so in Spain would not be hard to take. As far as travel insurance, I purchased that the day after I booked the cruise, and I called and asked about it. She said that Travel Delay was covered by the policy if there's a delay of at least six hours. I was in the insurance business for 20 yrs and I looked over the coverage descriptions and, personally, I don't think the policy would cover a situation where the ship and the flight were on schedule but you simply didn't make the flight. Hopefully I wont have to test that theory
well, in that case, i say make your decision whether or not to switch your flight (though it looks like you may be ok), stand by that decision, then don't worry about it till the cruise is over
what will happen, will happen...dont let it ruin your trip!
Originally posted by MiketheKid:
well, in that case, i say make your decision whether or not to switch your flight (though it looks like you may be ok), stand by that decision, then don't worry about it till the cruise is over
what will happen, will happen...dont let it ruin your trip!
What you say is good advice...not only for cruises, but for living Life in general. Thanks
We had a 10 am flight out of Barcelona a couple months ago getting there is no problem as long as you are able to find your luggage. I would recomend the 20 dollar per person option from RCCL where you leave it out the night before and THEY get it to the plane. Even though we had white tags the BCN port is not the most organized but the RCCL bus got us there with plenty of time to spare. Have a great trip!
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