Help booking air travel

[punchgirl]

We are in the process of planning a cruise from Miami and want to book the air travel on our own. From browsing this forum I can see that it is recommended to arrive a few days before the cruise departs. But, if that doesn't work for you and boarding begins at 5PM what time to recommend to arrive in Miami? If we arrive at 3PM will be able to board or will we just hanging around.

On the flip side, at the end of the cruise what is the earliest flight you suggest to book? I was thinking noon but I am getting concerned that it may be too early. We will also be handling our own transfers to and from the airport. Are taxis from the port to the airport easy to come by?

Thanks in advance for you help.

[punchgirl]

We are in the process of planning a cruise from Miami and want to book the air travel on our own. From browsing this forum I can see that it is recommended to arrive a few days before the cruise departs. But, if that doesn't work for you and boarding begins at 5PM what time to recommend to arrive in Miami? If we arrive at 3PM will be able to board or will we just hanging around.

On the flip side, at the end of the cruise what is the earliest flight you suggest to book? I was thinking noon but I am getting concerned that it may be too early. We will also be handling our own transfers to and from the airport. Are taxis from the port to the airport easy to come by?

Thanks in advance for you help.

[Sandy]

Punch, boarding does not start at 5pm; the ship SAILS at 5pm! Boarding usually starts between 11:30am and 1pm, depending on the ship and how quickly they can get it ready after the previous week's passengers depart. I recommend an early flight from wherever you're flying.

On the return, if the ship comes into Miami and you leave from the Miami airport, the recommendation is to get a flight that leaves no earlier than noon.

Sandy

[Sonny V]

Punchgirl,
You may want to consider flying into Ft. Lauderdale. It's only 45 minutes to the port from there. Here is a great site for checking fares and schedules.

www.kayak.com

[Karen Knowlton]

Punchgirl, I always recommend flying in the day before the cruise, to lessen the chance you will miss the ship if your flight is delayed or cancelled. If that is not possible, then I recommend you choose a flight that arrives in the departure port - in this case, Miami - no later than noon. Figure at least 1/2 hour to collect your luggage and find a cab, then another 20 minutes or more to arrive at the pier. If your flight is delayed, you will still have time to make the cruise. You must be onboard at least 1/2 hour before the ship sails, and in most cases an hour before.

[cvanrys]

We are cruising on the Jewel in January, flying out of Minnesota. So we always go down a day early to make sure that if there is a snow storm we don,t miss our flight. Last time we were in our ship rooms by 1:30 - 2:00. It is also hard to find air times that are not really expensive on cruise days that get in early enough. I just booked our tickets through cheapair.com for $290.00. I have never used them before, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Also learned after using Cheaptickets last time I would never do it again. They did not book our flights confirmed our reservation and never notified us when they could not get those flights. After complaining & demanding satisfaction from many people, the response basically was so sad to bad. We ended up spending almost $500 each the week before leaving. So who ever you book your tickets through, make sure once they confirm it, you CALL THE AIRLINE and confirm your reservations!

[Greyson]

Cvanrys, I live in Minnesota as well, 20 miles from Rochester. Where do you live. We have done 2 Alaska cruises, now I want to try the Mexican Riviera. I always have do the flight through my travel agent only because we pay for transfers. Its great not having to handle my luggage.